b. 1941 Person Name: Margaret Pleasant Douroux, b. 1941 Author of "One More Day" in African American Heritage Hymnal Margaret Pleasant Douroux (b 21 March 1941, Los Angeles, CA), daughter of Earl Amos Pleasant (1918–1974) and Olga Mae Williams (1920–2006), one of six siblings. Earl was a singer who toured with Mahalia Jackson before he became the founder (1945) and longtime pastor of Mount Moriah Baptist Church, Inglewood, CA. Olga was an accompanist; Margaret likewise took an interest in music, playing piano for Sunday School classes until she was able to play for adult choirs. Through her father’s musical connections, she met influential gospel musicians such as Mahalia Jackson, Joe May, Sallie Martin, Thurston Frazier, and James Cleveland. In 1963, she married Donald Douroux, and they had one daughter, Mardy. She earned a degree in music from Cal State L.A. (1963), plus master’s degrees from the University of Southern California (1968, 1973), and a doctorate from the University of Beverly Hills (1979). After the death of her father, she joined her brother Earl in starting Greater New Bethel Baptist Church in Inglewood, California (1976). At the time, she was a school psychologist for Los Angeles City Schools. She had previously worked as an elementary school teacher and a guidance counselor. Magaret retired as music director of Greater New Bethel in 2015. Her career as a songwriter began when she wrote “Give Me a Clean Heart” (1970).
—Chris Fenner, Hymns & Devotions for Daily Worship: African American Edition (2025)
Margaret Pleasant Douroux