Joe A. Rector (August 12, 1935 – August 19, 2012) was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He is of Cherokee ancestry. He lived in Muskogee, then Tulsa Oklahoma for most of his life, until he retired. He then moved to Destin, Florida to be near his children until the time of his death in 2012. Rector started drawing at about the age of five. A Rector "character" painting gives the impression of strength and power but still has the grace and beauty of lines that was portrayed by some of the "Old Masters" such as Michelangelo.