Mary Speidel was born May 16, 1915, at Weirton, West Virginia, and received her education at Strayers Business College and then at Columbia Union College, Washington, D. C. She became a Seventh-day Adventist after reading books left on her doorstep by a literature evangelist. For eight years she worked in the Coast Guard Headquarters and the Federal Communications Commission, then moved to denominational work, serving in the Potomac Conference office and at General Conference headquarters. In midlife she began free-lance writing, her stories, poems, and articles being published in Listen, These Times, Adventist Review, Guide, and Little Friend. After retirement she traveled and studied in Mexico and Scotland. Her greatest joy was in “seeing God’s work progress and in doing Christian witnessing and church work.” Returning, she made her home at Summersville, West Virginia, where she died October 4, 1985.

STRACATHRO is from the composer’s book Christian Vespers, published in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1832. It is considered one of the finest of the later psalm tunes. Charles Hutcheson was born in 1792 and lived all his life as a merchant in Glasgow. A member of St. George’s Church there, he had a good singing voice, loved psalmody and music in general, and had a natural gift as an amateur composer. His book mentioned above contained hymn tunes in three and four parts, with an introductory essay on church music. He died January 20, 1860.

The tune is named after a property bought by Hutcheson’s friend and fellow church member, Sir James Campbell, for the latter’s new home.

The arrangement is by David Evans (1874-1948; see Biographies), one of the most distinguished musicians of his time in Wales.

📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.