Austin C. Lovelace

Austin C. Lovelace (1919-2010) was born in Rutherford County, North Carolina in 1919. He received his A.B. from High Point College in 1939 and his M.S.M. and D.S.M. from the School of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary in New York City in 1941 and 1950, respectively. He was Past President and a Fellow of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada.

Dr. Lovelace was Minister of Music Emeritus at Wellshire Presbyterian Church in Denver, Colorado. He worked at a number of Presbyterian and Methodist churches in Colorado, Illinois, Nebraska and North Carolina, and at three seminaries: Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and Iliff School of Theology in Denver. Dr. Lovelace also worked as a consultant and lecturer, and appeared as a Director of Music for general conferences.

In 1954, he served as the organist for the Assembly of the World Council of Churches. More than eight hundred of his compositions for church have been published. Dr. Lovelace was also well known as a writer, having produced books and many articles on church hymnody.