Elizabeth Fetzer Bates (March 30, 1909 – November 20, 1999) was an American

Latter-day Saint The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded b ...

musician, most noted for being the author of the children's songs "Book of Mormon Stories" and "Pioneer Children Sang As They Walked".

Biography

Bates was born in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

to John Fetzer, an architect, and his wife Margaret Baer. She was the older sister of Emil B. Fetzer. Elizabeth graduated from

LDS Business College Ensign College is a private college in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Founded in 1886, the college is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and operates under its Church Educational System. It also includes ...

. From late 1928 to 1930, she served as a

Mormon missionary Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—often referred to as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and ...

in the Northern States

Mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church), based in Chicago. In 1931, she established a Yesharah Society at the University of Utah, where women who had returned from missions could keep in contact with each other. In 1934 Elizabeth married Lucian Bates in the

Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a Temple (LDS Church), temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sa ...

. They eventually had six children. Bates also worked as a legal stenographer. Although Bates lost her sight in an accident in 1951, she was still an active member of her community and her church. For a time Bates was the executive secretary to Utah governor Herbert B. Maw. She served a mission again in the 1970s, with her husband, in

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

. Bates earned several degrees at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

, a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

Sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

, a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in Music, a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in 1959, followed by a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

, developing a new system of coding music for blind musicians. She taught piano and composed music. She was also a member of the

Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for o ...

. Besides "Book of Mormon Stories", Bates also wrote the song "Pioneer Children Sang As They Walked", described as "Perhaps the most familiar and best loved .. song". Bates had been inspired to write the song after meeting 104-year-old

Ruth May Fox Ruth Fox ( May; November 16, 1853 – April 12, 1958) was a 19th-century English-born American women's rights activist in the Territory of Utah. Fox was a poet, hymn writer, and a leader of youth in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint ...

, who as a child had traveled on foot and by wagon to Utah. Both songs are included in the LDS Church's ''

Children's Songbook The ''Children's Songbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' is the official songbook for children in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It was first published in English in 1989. These songs are for the ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Elizabeth Fetzer 1909 births 1999 deaths 20th-century Mormon missionaries American Latter Day Saint hymnwriters American Mormon missionaries in the United States Female Mormon missionaries Ensign College alumni Tabernacle Choir members Musicians from Salt Lake City University of Utah alumni American blind people 20th-century American musicians Songwriters from Utah 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American women musicians American women hymnwriters Latter Day Saints from Utah American women non-fiction writers