Richard L. Evans was born 23 March 1906 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah to John Alldridge Evans (1865-1906) and Florence Neslen (1866-1940) and died 1 November 1971 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah of unspecified causes. He married Alice Ruth Thornley (1910-2008) 9 August 1933 in Salt Lake Temple, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah.
Biography[]
Richard Louis Evans was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) (1953–71); the president of Rotary International (1966–67); and the writer, producer, and announcer of Music and the Spoken Word for forty-one years (1929–71).
Evans was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He received Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Utah. There, he joined Pi Kappa Alpha.
Early Life[]
His father, John Alldridge Evans (1865-1906) died in accident when Richard was only a few weeks old in 1906.
Music and the Spoken Work[]
He may have been best known as the announcer for the weekly Mormon Tabernacle Choir radio broadcast, Music and the Spoken Word: every week, he wrote, produced, and announced the radio broadcasts, including a short inspirational message. Evans's weekly broadcasts spanned from its inception in 1929 until his death in 1971.
Evans's voice was familiar to Latter-day Saints as the narrator of various church productions, most notably Man's Search for Happiness.
"To millions he was the image of the Church. To multitudes of persons who were not well acquainted with the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he was the only church they knew and the only religion they formally experienced. Countless others arranged their worship around his broadcasts. The impact of his personality was, if anything, even greater as he stood in person before numerous audiences across the earth and in his own inimitable way taught men the meaning of life and called them to repentance and to a greater sense of responsibility to themselves, to each other, and to God." (Marion D Hanks)
Evans was ordained an apostle on October 8, 1953, following the death of Albert E. Bowen.
Siblings[]
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| John Elmer Evans (1888-1938) | |||
| Florence Eleanor Evans (1890-1980) | |||
| Lucile Evans (1891-1935) | |||
| Elizabeth Louise Evans (1892-1969) | |||
| David Woolley Evans (1894-1982) | |||
| Alldridge Neslen Evans (1896-1950) | |||
| Ruth Evans (1900-1993) | |||
| Mary Evans (1902-1973) | |||
| Richard Louis Evans (1906-1971) | 23 March 1906 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah | 1 November 1971 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah | Alice Ruth Thornley (1910-2008) |
External Links[]
- Tribute to Richard L Evans, Apostle of the Lord - LDS Church Ensign, Dec 1971, by Marian D. Hanks
- Funeral Services for Elder Evans - LDS Church Ensign, Dec 1971
- Passing of Elder Evans - Official Statement of the LDS Church, Ensign Dec 1971.
- Teachings of Richard L Evans - LDS Church General Conference Talks - 1971
- MormonTabernacleChoir.org - Music and the Spoken Word today - archives.
- Richard L Evans - Wikipedia
