72 July 2016 - Business View Caribbean
Cavalier by Name,
Not by Nature
Long-time industry powerhouse aiming for fresh, modern image
The name “Cavalier” might be viewed as peculiar for
a company – Cavalier Constriction – which considers
itself the flagship of the Bahamian construction indus-
try. But, in fact, it comes from the Bahamian founder
of the business, Godfrey E. Lightbourn, who attended
the University of Virginia.
The school’s nickname: Cavaliers.
The actual origin of the nickname comes from what
was going on during the 17th century, when an English
civil war pitted supporters of the parliamentary system
of government against King Charles I, who asserted
absolute power. The word Cavalier, too, predates the
formation of the United States, with a very similarly
spelled version used by William Shakespeare in Henry
IV.
Shakespeare used the word to describe a swashbuck-
ler not unlike the current Virginia mascot, which de-
