Former Connecticut State Rep. E. Reece Painter Elected to High School Hall of Fame
Written by Norval Reece
Nominated by former NBA Head Coach and fellow Hall of Fame inductee, Del Harris, the Honorable E. Reece Painter was elected to the Plainfield, Indiana High School Hall of Fame along with former NBA All Star Forrest “Big Jake” Weber, former center for the New York Knicks and four other graduates of PHS.
Del Harris was Head Coach for the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and voted NBA Coach of the Year in 1995.
Reece Painter, now a resident of StoneRidge in Mystic, Connecticut, was previously an elected State Representative of Connecticut from Woodstock, CT and also served Woodstock as an elected Justice of the Peace for many years.
While in Plainfield High School, E. Reece Painter was a cheerleader, President of the Girls Athletic Association, and Secretary of the National Honor Society. She attended Earlham College and graduated from DePauw University with a major in Zoology, with minors in Chemistry and Music.
Reece Painter served on the staff of United States Congressman Sam Gejdenson for 20 years as his Director of Schedule and chief environmental aide. Reece was instrumental in establishing The Quinebaug-Shetucket National Heritage Corridor to preserve and maintain the natural beauty and rich resources of Northeastern Connecticut.
In her hometown of Woodstock, CT, Reece was appointed to the Land Use Study Commission and the Commission on Law Enforcement, chosen by the Connecticut Commission on the Arts to plan and administer the Visiting Artists Program for Woodstock school children, inviting and hosting for the children Carroll Spinney, the creator of Big Bird of Sesame Street.
As a trained Orff music-educator, she volunteered to teach elementary students music and movement in the Woodstock public schools, and also was an active member of the Gilbert and Sullivan Players and the inaugural director of the handbell choir of her local church which performed during services and in concert.
Reece cites her volunteer work in Haiti at a health clinic as a significant learning experience shortly after college.
