Painter, David M.
David Michael Painter (1939-2004) served more than 30 years as Lee’s chief financial officer, from 1973 to 2004. At the time of his death, he was the senior member of the Lee University leadership team and taught business courses.
Painter was born on December 26, 1939, in Baltimore, Maryland, into a minister’s home. His father served the Church of God in nine states, including in Kansas when David enrolled in the Junior College at Lee in 1957. David’s parents later joined the staff at Lee, during which time his mother also served as the Lee Campus Postmistress.
As a Lee student, David Painter was actively involved in student life. He particularly enjoyed athletics and was a member of the softball team, the basketball team, and as a guard on the football team. He also served as statistician for the Boys’ Athletics club.
He graduated from Lee with the Associate of Arts degree in 1959 and continued his studies at Tennessee Wesleyan College, earning the Bachelor of Arts degree, and at Middle Tennessee State University, where he graduated with the Master of Business Administration in 1972.
Painter began working at Lee College in 1968 as the assistant treasurer in the Business Office. Five years later, he was promoted to director of Business and Finance as the chief financial officer for the college, which position was renamed Vice President for Business and Finance in 1988.
His work responsibilities included overseeing short-term investments, obtaining insurance for the university and financing for the buildings, overseeing the campus bookstore, food operations, human resources, and physical plant, and directing the Business Office, which processed students' tuition, room and board expenses, and managed student work-study payments. He also held the academic rank of Assistant Professor of Business and taught business courses.
During Painter’s 36-year tenure at Lee, he served five Lee presidents and saw the budget increase from $5 million to $50 million and Lee personnel increase from 140 to 640 people. Lee became one of the largest employers in Cleveland. By 2004, the Post Office handled 13,000 pieces of mail per week and the cafeteria served more than 20,000 meals each week.
In addition to his work at Lee, Painter was active in the local community and professional organizations. He was an active member of Westmore Church of God in Cleveland, Tennessee, where he served on the Pastor’s Council, Building Committee, and Finance Committee. He was appointed as a general trustee for the Church of God (1992-94) and as a trustee of the Church of God Benefits Board (1994-96). Painter served as a board member at the YMCA, on the educational committee of the Cleveland/Bradley County Chamber of Commerce, on the United Way Panels for the Red Cross and Boys Club, and as a member, Secretary, Treasurer, and President of Sertoma. He held memberships with the Tennessee Society of CPAs, the American Institute of CPAs, and the CFO Commission of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
Painter was married to Mary Stephens Painter (1941-2018). At age 64, he was planning an upcoming retirement when he suffered a stroke from which he died two days later on December 8, 2004, and is buried at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Cleveland, Tennessee. Lee University President Dr. Paul Conn described Painter as a “preeminent administrator with a gift for detail and fiscal management” and one who “loved the battle, he loved the challenge, and the thought of failure as just not an option to him. His passion for Lee was expressed in his accountability. For him, it was a calling.”
/ L.F. Morgan
Painter was born on December 26, 1939, in Baltimore, Maryland, into a minister’s home. His father served the Church of God in nine states, including in Kansas when David enrolled in the Junior College at Lee in 1957. David’s parents later joined the staff at Lee, during which time his mother also served as the Lee Campus Postmistress.
As a Lee student, David Painter was actively involved in student life. He particularly enjoyed athletics and was a member of the softball team, the basketball team, and as a guard on the football team. He also served as statistician for the Boys’ Athletics club.
He graduated from Lee with the Associate of Arts degree in 1959 and continued his studies at Tennessee Wesleyan College, earning the Bachelor of Arts degree, and at Middle Tennessee State University, where he graduated with the Master of Business Administration in 1972.
Painter began working at Lee College in 1968 as the assistant treasurer in the Business Office. Five years later, he was promoted to director of Business and Finance as the chief financial officer for the college, which position was renamed Vice President for Business and Finance in 1988.
His work responsibilities included overseeing short-term investments, obtaining insurance for the university and financing for the buildings, overseeing the campus bookstore, food operations, human resources, and physical plant, and directing the Business Office, which processed students' tuition, room and board expenses, and managed student work-study payments. He also held the academic rank of Assistant Professor of Business and taught business courses.
During Painter’s 36-year tenure at Lee, he served five Lee presidents and saw the budget increase from $5 million to $50 million and Lee personnel increase from 140 to 640 people. Lee became one of the largest employers in Cleveland. By 2004, the Post Office handled 13,000 pieces of mail per week and the cafeteria served more than 20,000 meals each week.
In addition to his work at Lee, Painter was active in the local community and professional organizations. He was an active member of Westmore Church of God in Cleveland, Tennessee, where he served on the Pastor’s Council, Building Committee, and Finance Committee. He was appointed as a general trustee for the Church of God (1992-94) and as a trustee of the Church of God Benefits Board (1994-96). Painter served as a board member at the YMCA, on the educational committee of the Cleveland/Bradley County Chamber of Commerce, on the United Way Panels for the Red Cross and Boys Club, and as a member, Secretary, Treasurer, and President of Sertoma. He held memberships with the Tennessee Society of CPAs, the American Institute of CPAs, and the CFO Commission of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
Painter was married to Mary Stephens Painter (1941-2018). At age 64, he was planning an upcoming retirement when he suffered a stroke from which he died two days later on December 8, 2004, and is buried at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Cleveland, Tennessee. Lee University President Dr. Paul Conn described Painter as a “preeminent administrator with a gift for detail and fiscal management” and one who “loved the battle, he loved the challenge, and the thought of failure as just not an option to him. His passion for Lee was expressed in his accountability. For him, it was a calling.”
/ L.F. Morgan