1920–2009

Introduction

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Born: Ap­ril 2, 1920, At­lan­tic, Io­wa.

Died: March 28, 2009, Nash­ville, Ten­nes­see.

Buried: Mount Ol­iv­et Ce­me­te­ry, Nash­ville, Ten­nes­see.

Pseudonym: John Drake­stone (per U.S. Ca­ta­log of Co­py­right En­tries: Third ser­ies, Vol­ume 13, Part 3, Num­ber 1, Mu­sic, Jan­ua­ry-June 1959, p. 84)

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Biography

William was the son of George Wash­ing­ton Rey­nolds and Eth­el Horn, and ne­phew of Ish­am E. Rey­nolds.

He was edu­cat­ed at Ok­la­ho­ma Bap­tist Uni­ver­si­ty, Shaw­nee, Ok­la­ho­ma; South­west Mis­sou­ri State Col­lege (now Mis­sou­ri State Uni­ver­si­ty), Spring­field, Mis­sou­ri (AB 1942); South­west­ern Bap­tist Theo­lo­gic­al Se­mi­na­ry, Fort Worth, Tex­as (MSM 1945); North Tex­as State Col­lege (now Uni­ver­si­ty of North Tex­as), Den­ton, Tex­as (MM 1946); West­min­ster Choir Col­lege, Prince­ton, New Jer­sey; and the George Pea­bo­dy Col­lege for Teach­ers (now part of Van­der­bilt Uni­ver­si­ty), Nash­ville, Ten­nes­see (EdD 1961).

While a stu­dent, he was a part time church mu­sic di­rect­or for se­ven years, then served as min­is­ter of mu­sic at the First Bap­tist Church, Ard­more, Ok­la­ho­ma (1946–47); and the First Bap­tist Church, Ok­la­ho­ma Ci­ty, Ok­la­ho­ma (1947–55).

In 1955, he joined the Church Mu­sic De­part­ment of the Bap­tist Sun­day School Board in Nash­ville, Ten­nes­see, ris­ing to de­part­ment head in 1971.

He al­so served as mu­sic di­rect­or for meet­ings of the South­ern Bap­tist Con­ven­tion, the Bap­tist World Al­li­ance, and the Bap­tist Youth World Con­fer­ence. He com­posed and ar­ranged a va­ri­ety of sac­red mu­sic.

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