Man of Many Faces

Murray State graduate Joseph Routon Jr., an accomplished portrait artist from Paris , Tenn. , is living the American dream. Routon, a third generation painter, has been surrounded by music and art from childhood. His father, the late Joseph Routon Sr. ’50, played the violin for several decades with the Nashville , Tenn. Symphony, and Routon himself was playing the organ in churches by age 13.

Earning his bachelor of music degree in 1966, Routon studied painting at Murray State with the distinguished Clara M. Eagle. He earned his master of sacred music degree from Baptist Seminary in Louisville , Ky. , later moving with his wife Joyce Ann ’64 and three children to New Jersey to study painting at The Art Students League and the National Academy of Design in New York .

The Haddonfield, N.J. resident is commissioned by people all over the country to paint portraits for major medical facilities, universities, law offices and private homes. Among his paintings include those of former MSU art professor Clara M. Eagle, former MSU president Constantine Curris, and former MSU director of public relations M.O. Wrather. Routon’s portrait of actress Cherry Jones, a fellow Paris , Tenn. native, costumed for her Tony Award-winning role in The Heiress , hangs in the Krider Performing Arts Center in Paris .

In 1990, Routon founded the Caring Hearts Ministry for South Jersey children living with AIDS through a $5,000 grant from the National Organization of Presbyterian Women. The ministry also received a grant from the National Global Ministries Division of the United Methodist Church and was named a Donor Choice Agency of the United Way . Routon serves as president of the board of trustees of Caring Hearts.