LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Lubbock is mourning the loss of Billie McQueen Caviel tonight, who passed away on Monday at age 90.
Services are pending with Griffin Mortuary.
East Lubbock Art House paid tribute to Billie on their Facebook page on Wednesday, saying “If the Art House was open, Billie would be there every day.”
The Art House says Billie was “instrumental” in conducting their Spring Break Art Camp and talked about how much she “cared about the next generation of leaders.”
Billie and her husband Alfred owned and operated Caviel’s Pharmacy at the corner of Avenue A and 17th Street for nearly 50 years, the first African American couple in the United States to jointly own and manage their own pharmacy.
The building, now known as the Caviel Museum, reopened in 2015 as “the first museum in West Texas dedicated to celebrating African American heritage.”
Exhibits include legacies of African-American medical practice, education, and other aspects of community life.
The museum operates as an extension of the Lubbock Roots Historical Arts Council and is an active participant in the First Friday Art Trail, partnering with the East Lubbock Art House “to showcase special exhibitions and collaborative programs.”
You can learn more about the museum here on their website, including details about the mural on the building’s south side, honoring African American leaders in Lubbock:
Mural features: Alfred Caviel – Owner of Caviel Pharmacy;
Billie Caviel – Owner of Caviel Pharmacy;
Ted “Theodore” Phea – The Eastside Boys and Girls Club bears his name;
Eric Strong – Community leader, Roots Council founder, and longtime director of Texas Tech’s Upward Bound program;
George Woods – Namesake of George Woods Park;
Mae Simmons – Esteemed educator with a local community center named in her honor;
E.C. Struggs – Longtime principal at Dunbar Middle School;
T.J. Patterson – Former Lubbock City Council Member(Lubbock Cultural Arts Foundation)
Featuring the faces of:
Alfred Caviel – Owner of Caviel PharmacyBillie Caviel – Owner of Caviel PharmacyTed “Theodore” Phea – The Eastside Boys and Girls Club bears his nameEric Strong – Community leader, Roots Council founder, and longtime director of Texas Tech’s Upward Bound programGeorge Woods – Namesake of George Woods ParkMae Simmons – Esteemed educator with a local community center named in her honorE.C. Struggs – Longtime principal at Dunbar Middle SchoolT.J. Patterson – Former Lubbock City Council Member
The Lubbock Cultural Arts Foundation has more about the museum here.
We’ll update this story once details about services have been announced.
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