# Karen Lynn Davidson > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Karen_Lynn_Davidson > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Karen_Lynn_Davidson.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Lynn_Davidson > Source revision: 1301290615 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Karen Lynn Davidson** (1943–2019) was a [Latter-day Saint](/source/Latter-day_Saint) [hymnwriter](/source/Hymn), author, and literary critic. Davidson wrote widely on the hymns of [the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints](/source/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints) (LDS Church) and of the [Community of Christ](/source/Community_of_Christ). ## Education Davidson received her B.A. and M.A. from [Brigham Young University](/source/Brigham_Young_University).[when?] She then received her Ph.D. from the [University of Southern California](/source/University_of_Southern_California) in 1973. She did post-doctoral research at the [University of Cambridge](/source/University_of_Cambridge) and at the [University of Chicago](/source/University_of_Chicago). She taught English at [Brigham Young University](/source/Brigham_Young_University) and was on the English faculty at the [Mayfield Senior School](/source/Mayfield_Senior_School). ## Music Two hymns with texts by Davidson, "O, Savior Thou Who Wearest" and "Each Life That Touches Ours For Good", are in the 1985 English-language edition of the [LDS Church hymnal](/source/Hymns_of_The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_(1985_book)). Davidson was a member of the LDS Church's General Church Music Committee. She played violin with the [Orchestra at Temple Square](/source/Orchestra_at_Temple_Square). ## Books Davidson authored "Our Latter-day Hymns: The Stories and the Messages" published in March 1988 by Deseret Book Company.[1] Davidson was co-editor of one already-published volume and worked as a co-editor of another volume in the [Joseph Smith Papers Project](/source/Joseph_Smith_Papers_Project). She was also co-editor of "Out of the Black Patch", an autobiography of Effie Marquess Carmack published by [Utah State University Press](/source/Utah_State_University_Press) in 1999. She co-authored *Eliza: The Life and Faith of Eliza R. Snow* with [Jill Mulvay Derr](/source/Jill_Mulvay_Derr).[2][3] In 2010 she received the "best documentary editing, bibliography award" from the [Mormon History Association](/source/Mormon_History_Association) along with Derr for their collection of [Eliza R. Snow](/source/Eliza_R._Snow)'s poetry. She received the same award in 2013 as part of the team that edited The Joseph Smith Papers: Histories.[4] ## Personal life Davidson was married to David Davidson, who died in 2016.[5] She died on October 14, 2019, from pancreatic cancer.[6] ## References 1. Davidson, Karen Lynn (1988). *Our Latter-Day hymns : the stories and the messages*. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Co. ISBN 0-87579-137-9. [OCLC 17477725](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/17477725) 1. Davidson, Karen Lynn & Derr, Jill Mulvay (2013). *Eliza: The Life and Faith of Eliza R. Snow*. [Deseret Book](/source/Deseret_Book). ISBN 9781609089023. 1. [*Deseret News* article on Eliza](https://web.archive.org/web/20140313151520/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865598443/Eliza-R-Snow-is-more-than-a-poetess-as-she-served-led-the-Relief-Society.html?pg=all) 1. ["Mormon History Association list of award recipients"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180810072523/https://mormonhistoryassociation.org/about/awards-nominations/past-award-recipients/). Archived from [the original](http://mormonhistoryassociation.org/about/awards-nominations/past-award-recipients/) on 2018-08-10. Retrieved 2015-08-03. 1. Davidson, Karen Lynn. ["Blessing the Next Generation, Too"](http://www.eugeneengland.org/blessing-the-next-generation-too). *[Eugene England](/source/Eugene_England) Foundation*. [Irreantum](/source/Irreantum). Retrieved 8 April 2019. 1. ["Karen Lynn Davidson"](https://www.larkinmortuary.com/obituary/view/hNkEGukUiI6WY0g6yTzSXg5L7pofVMarchive). *www.larkinmortuary.com*. Retrieved 2023-02-14. ## External links - [Maxwell Institute author bio](http://farms.byu.edu/authors/?authorID=152) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20081010041003/http://farms.byu.edu/authors/?authorID=152) 2008-10-10 at the Wayback Machine - [Biography](http://josephsmithpapers.org/projectTeam) at Joseph Smith Papers Project website (accessed May 4, 2012) - ["Joseph Smith Histories Overview"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3i1mpF2D-U). *[YouTube](/source/YouTube)*. [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints](/source/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints). 1 May 2012. [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/w3i1mpF2D-U) 2021-12-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 8 April 2019. Karen Davidson talks about the Joseph Papers and how the histories volume is different from the rest of the series. - ["Karen Lynn Davidson profile"](https://deseretbook.com/t/author/karen-lynn-davidson). *[Deseret Book](/source/Deseret_Book)*. Retrieved 8 April 2019. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Karen Lynn Davidson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Lynn_Davidson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Lynn_Davidson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.