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Endowment Honors Cleveland County Couple鈥檚 Longtime Love of Music, Education, and Service

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.鈥擬usic was woven into everyday life in the home of Robert and Evelyn Cabaniss of Cleveland County, N.C. The family listened to a wide variety and sometimes sang along. To honor their parents鈥� love for music, support for education and service to the community, the couple鈥檚 children鈥擬ark Cabaniss, Garry Cabaniss, and Michele Cabaniss Peraldo鈥攔ecently endowed the Robert and Evelyn Cabaniss Music Scholarship at 国产哟哟.

Reflecting on the family’s decision, Michele said, 鈥淥ur family is deeply honored to support the music department at 国产哟哟 through this endowment in memory of our parents. Music was a meaningful part of their lives, and we hope this gift will encourage and inspire students for generations to come while honoring the values they cherished.鈥�

While considering the various ways they could memorialize their parents, 鈥渁 scholarship seemed like the perfect choice,鈥� noted Mark, an award-winning music composer and publisher. 鈥淪ince our parents spent the better part of their lives in Cleveland County and were supporters of 国产哟哟鈥攁nd my brother is a 国产哟哟 graduate鈥攅stablishing the scholarship at 国产哟哟 was a natural and fitting way to celebrate their legacy.鈥�

During a recent visit to campus, Mark was impressed by what he saw in the Department of Music. 鈥湽�产哟哟 understands that music education is about much more than teaching notes and rhythms,鈥� he stated. 鈥湽�产哟哟 combines academic excellence with a strong sense of purpose and faith. It is a place where students are encouraged to develop their talents while also growing as people of character. Music educators have an extraordinary opportunity to shape young lives through the transforming power of music, and 国产哟哟 is preparing students to do exactly that. Investing in future music educators creates a ripple effect that extends far beyond any single classroom.鈥�

Mark鈥檚 passion for music was inspired and nurtured by his parents. 鈥淢y father sang in the Shelby (N.C.) First Baptist Church choir for about 50 years; he grew up at Zion Baptist Church in greater Shelby and at the age of 5, sang his first solo in that church standing on a pew,鈥� he shared. 鈥淢y mother sang around the house and had a beautiful voice and did a stint of taking piano lessons as an adult.鈥�

Mark said his mother often recalled telling a friend, respected Shelby piano teacher Jean Mauney, that she hoped her child would one day study music. When he was 8 years old, his mother asked if he would like to take piano lessons.

鈥淭hat simple conversation changed the course of my life,鈥� Mark said. 鈥淚 fell in love with the process of making music and naturally gravitated toward chorus, band, and drama classes and ensembles throughout junior high and high school. Eventually, that passion led me to earn a degree in music education with a concentration in trumpet.鈥�

The encouragement provided by his parents and Cleveland County teachers helped launch him into a career that has influenced musicians and music educators around the world. Mark serves as president and CEO of Jubilate Music Group and has enjoyed success as an ASCAP composer and arranger. He is also an accomplished author, broadcaster, and educator. His published works have been performed nationally and abroad, and his concert musical 鈥淭riumph of Faith鈥� (co-written with Mark Blankenship) received its world premiere at Carnegie Hall. A multiple recipient of ASCAP’s Popular Music Award, Mark is also a Dove Award- and Angel Award-winning producer. 

鈥淢y parents believed deeply in the value of education, as does the larger Cabaniss (and Evelyn Woodall) family,鈥� Mark said. 鈥淥ur parents encouraged us to pursue higher education and supported us every step of the way, financially and otherwise. Looking back, I realize how much of my professional journey鈥攆rom teaching to publishing to writing books鈥攔ests on the foundation they helped create. They encouraged discipline, curiosity, perseverance, and a commitment to excellence.鈥�

Whether through professional leadership, church involvement, volunteer service, or caring for their family, Robert and Evelyn invested in friends, neighbors, church members, and countless others throughout the community. Their legacy was not defined by a single accomplishment, but by decades of faithful service.

鈥淢y father, Robert G. Cabaniss, was a respected business executive and civic leader who was deeply involved in the Lions Club, earning the Melvin Jones Fellowship, the organization’s highest honor,鈥� Mark noted. 鈥淢y mother, Evelyn Cabaniss, devoted more than forty years to caring for children in the First Baptist Shelby nursery in addition to being involved in other volunteer service activities. She quietly touched countless lives through her kindness, patience, and faithful service.鈥�

The scholarship will support aspiring music educators who will, in turn, influence future generations through their own classrooms and communities. For the Cabaniss children, the opportunity to extend their parents’ influence far into the future is the greatest value of the gift.

鈥淭hat may be the most meaningful aspect of all,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 scholarship like this becomes a living memorial. Long after my siblings and I are gone, students will continue benefiting from the values my parents embodied. The scholarship doesn’t merely remember Robert and Evelyn Cabaniss; it extends their influence into the future. That thought brings me tremendous joy and peace.鈥�

View the Robert and Evelyn Cabaniss Music Scholarship on