PEM Cavanaugh Scholarships

PEM High School seniors Karly Peter and Nolan Ford were awarded 2026 Cavanaugh scholarships, donated by the Cavanaugh family of Plainview in honor of their son, Michael, a Plainview High School student-athlete who died in 1967.

According to the Plainview News, the scholarships, presented June 1 at the PEM athletic complex in Elgin, are based on academics, athletics, leadership, and community service.

Michael Cavanaugh attended Plainview High and graduated from Lourdes High School in Rochester in 1961, and from Winona State Teachers College in 1965. He died in June of 1967 while trying to save a fellow soldier from drowning.

Cavanaugh’s father, Ted, and the Cavanaugh family set up a scholarship award with the help of Plainview High School officials.

The Michael Daniel Cavanaugh Scholarship is given to student athletes who demonstrate leadership qualities on and off the  field. PEM students are nominated for the award by head coaches, and voted on by coaches and top assistants.

Peter and Ford each received an Irish crystal bowl and a check for $3,000.

Their names will be inscribed with past winners on a plaque in the high school lobby.