Evans was born in
Salt Lake City, Utah. a periodical published by the mission. He received
bachelor's and
master's degrees from the
University of Utah. There, he joined
Pi Kappa Alpha. His master's degree was in economics. Over the years he served on the boards of directors of several companies. In the late 1920s, he took a job with
KSL radio as an announcer and script writer. He was also employed as the managing editor of the
Improvement Era starting in 1936. He worked with the Era for 30 years and eventually became its senior editor. He was also closely involved with the changes that led to the replacement of the
Improvement Era with the
Ensign,
New Era and
Friend in 1971. In 1937, Evans' book
A Century of "Mormonism" in Great Britain was published with a copyright by
Heber J. Grant, as trustee-in-trust for LDS Church. Evans also served for a time as the president of the
Temple Square Mission. Evans may have been best known as the announcer for the weekly
Mormon Tabernacle Choir radio broadcast,
Music and the Spoken Word: every week, he wrote, produced, and announced the radio broadcasts, including a short inspirational message. His involvement in these weekly broadcasts spanned from its inception in 1929 until his death in 1971. Evans' voice was familiar to
Latter-day Saints as the narrator of various church productions, most notably ''
Man's Search for Happiness''. He also introduced the Salt Lake City choir's contribution to
Bing Crosby's annual "Christmas Sing with Bing" radio broadcasts during the 1950s, and is heard on the 1956 Decca LP of the same name, which featured the previous year's "Christmas Sing" edition. Evans served as president of the University of Utah alumni association for three terms and as a member of its board for 12 years. He also served for a time as a member of the Utah State Board of Higher Education. Evans first became a church
general authority in 1938 when he was
called as a member of the
First Council of the Seventy. Evans was ordained an
apostle on October 8, 1953 by
David O. McKay, following the death of
Albert E. Bowen. Evans was the last apostle in the Church to have facial hair while in the office, wearing a neatly trimmed mustache until the mid-1960s. Evans died at age 65 on November 1, 1971. The vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from his death was filled by
Marvin J. Ashton. Evans was buried at
Salt Lake City Cemetery. Known for his ability to reach across religious differences, the Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding at
Brigham Young University was created in his honor on November 1, 1972 ==Published works==