A. Laurence Lyon was a prolific composer of music, usually sacred music with a Latter-day Saint theme. He also served for 30 years as a professor at Western Oregon University

Western Oregon University

Western Oregon University is a public liberal arts college located in Monmouth, Oregon, United States. It was originally established in 1856 by Oregon pioneers as Monmouth University. Subsequent names include Oregon Normal School, Oregon College of Education, and Western Oregon State College...

.

Lyon was born in Rotterdam

Rotterdam

Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...

, Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 where his father, T. Edgar Lyon

T. Edgar Lyon

Thomas Edgar "Ed" Lyon was a prominent Latter-day Saint historian and educator. He is most noted for his work on 19th century Latter-day Saint history. He also wrote on Latter-day Saint doctrine....

 was serving as president

Mission president

Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...

 of the Netherlands Mission

Mission (LDS Church)

A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...

 of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

Lyon was first called as an organist

Organist

An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...

 for a congregation of the LDS Church when he was 16 years old. He served as a LDS Church missionary

Mormon missionary

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...

 in the East German Mission, and organized and directed the choir from that mission that sang at the dedication of the Swiss Temple.

After his mission, Lyon received a bachelor's degree

Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...

 from the University of Utah

University of Utah

The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...

 and a Ph.D.

Ph.D.

A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...

 from the Eastman School of Music

Eastman School of Music

The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...

.

Lyon has been involved with the music for many LDS Church temple

Temple (LDS Church)

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...

 dedications. He wrote an arrangement of "The Morning Breaks" specifically for the dedication of the Oakland California Temple

Oakland California Temple

The Oakland California Temple is the 15th constructed and 13th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The LDS temple in Oakland, California was announced on May 26, 1962, and dedicated on November 19, 1964 by David O...

 and directed choirs that performed at the dedications of the Portland Oregon Temple

Portland Oregon Temple

The Portland Oregon Temple is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located on near the intersection of Highway 217 and I-5 in Lake Oswego, Oregon. The temple's architecture features six white spires and a white marble exterior accented with green marble trim and topped...

 and the Seattle Washington Temple

Seattle Washington Temple

The Seattle Washington Temple is the 21st constructed and 19th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Bellevue, Washington it has a modern single-spire design...

.

Two of Lyon's works are included in the 1985 edition of the LDS Church hymnbook

Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1985 book)

Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the official hymn book of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....

. They are "Each Life That Touches Ours For Good" and "Saints, Behold How Great Jehovah".