Merrill Bradshaw (1929-2000), a premier LDS composer, was the John R. Halliday professor of music and composer-in-residence at Brigham Young University, where he taught for 37 years. His works include more than 200 compositions, ranging from simple songs and piano pieces to symphonies and oratorios. In his later years, he devoted much of his time to promoting the works of emerging composers as Executive Director of the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition. His books, articles and speeches have been widely published and quoted. He was the father of seven children and the grandfather of twenty-seven.