Gerrit de Jong Jr.

Gerrit de Jong Jr. (28 March 1892, Amsterdam – 26 September 1978, Provo, Utah) was an American academic and the first dean of the College of Fine Arts at Brigham Young University (BYU).[1]

De Jong was skilled in music and wrote the words and music for the Latter-day Saint hymn, "Come Sing to the Lord," which is number 10 in the 1985 hymnal.[2] Even though he was dean of the College of Fine Arts, de Jong spent most of his career teaching foreign languages. He was known as "Mr. Portuguese" because of his knowledge of Portuguese and Brazilian literature. The de Jong Concert Hall at BYU is named in his honor.[3]

Personal life

De Jong converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from the Dutch Reformed (Protestant) tradition in his late teens.[4]

References
  1. Herzinger, Alyssa. "Torches and Periodic Tables: The Legacy of Gerrit de Jong Jr.", BYU Magazine, Winter 2012. Retrieved on 3 April 2021.
  2. J. Spencer Cornwall. "The Story of our Latter-day Saint hymns".
  3. "Harris Fine Arts Center". music.byu.edu. . Accessed 27 August 2007.
  4. Margaret Harris Stover, The Descendants of Uldrich Winegar of Amenia, Dutchess County, New York, 1998
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