Longtime former voice professor Frank Stovall dies at 92

Francis “Frank” D. Stovall III, retired professor of voice at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, died Friday, March 4 in Houston. He was 92.

Stovall, who began teaching at Southwestern Seminary in 1957, was a renowned tenor who taught courses in voice in what is now known as the School of Church Music and Worship (SCMW). He concluded his first period of teaching at Southwestern in 1985.

“Although I did not have the pleasure of meeting Dr. Stovall, almost everywhere I go, School of Church Music and Worship alumni from that era reminisce so fondly and appreciatively of Dr. Stovall’s teaching and mentorship,” said Joseph R. Crider, dean of the SCMW at Southwestern Seminary. “He left an indelible mark on so many students who entered the ministry.”

Stovall was born Jan. 4, 1930, in Clinton, Mississippi, and became a believer as an eight-year-old at Clinton Baptist Church. Upon high school graduation, he enrolled as a music student at Mississippi College in Clinton, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree with concentrations in piano and voice in 1951. In addition to earning a Master of Arts at the University of Alabama in 1955 and a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Texas at Austin in 1969, he did special study at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and the Julliard School in New York City.

As a college student, Stovall served as the organist at First Christian Church in Jackson, Mississippi. Following college graduation, he served for a year as the music and youth pastor at the First Baptist Church in Canton, Mississippi. From 1952 to 1957, Stovall was the chairman of the music department at Bluefield College, a junior college in Bluefield, Virginia. Additionally, during this time he was the minister of music at First Baptist Church of Bluefield, West Virginia, located on the Virginia and West Virginia border.

Stovall was a member of the executive council of the Southern Baptist Church Music Conference. Additionally, he was the author of Church Soloist’s Handbook published by Convention Press. In 1966, he was listed in the Outstanding Young Men of America and in 1971 he was also listed in the Outstanding Educators of America. 

In addition to his cumulative 35 years teaching at Southwestern Seminary, Stovall was the music department chairman and a professor of music at Mississippi College, where he served from 1984 to 1987. He returned to Southwestern Seminary as a professor of voice in 1988.

R. Allen Lott, professor of music history in the SCMW, taught with Stovall upon his return to Southwestern and until Stovall’s retirement in 1995.

“Dr. Stovall was an excellent singer, a wonderful teacher, and a beloved colleague,” Lott said. “His encouraging spirit and witty personality made him a favorite among students and teachers alike.”

Stovall was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Sara, in 2017. He is survived by his sons, Francis D. Stovall IV and Charles William Stovall, and two grandchildren.

Services are scheduled for March 14 at 2 p.m. at Forest Park – The Woodlands Funeral Home in The Woodlands, Texas.