The Mississippi man known as ‘Case 1,’ the first person to be diagnosed with autism, has died.
Donald G. Triplett was the subject of a book titled ‘In a Different Key,’ a PBS documentary film, BBC news magazine installment and countless medical journal articles.
But to employees at the Bank of Forest, in a small city about 40 miles east of Jackson, he was simply ‘Don,’ WLBT-TV reported.
Triplett died Thursday, confirmed Lesa Davis, the bank’s senior vice president. He was 89.
Triplett worked for 65 years at the bank where his father Beamon Triplett was a primary shareholder.
Donald Triplett, 89, was the first person ever diagnosed with autism
Donald G. Triplett was the subject of a book titled ‘In a Different Key,’ a PBS documentary film, BBC news magazine installment and countless medical journal articles
‘Don was a remarkable individual,’ CEO Allen Breland said of Triplett, who was known as a fiercely independent savant. ‘And he kept things interesting.’
Triplett, a 1958 graduate of Millsaps College, enjoyed golf and travel and was frequently flying to exotic locales, Breland said.
‘He was in his own world, but if you gave him two, three-digit numbers, he could multiply them faster than you could get the answer on a calculator,’ he told the television station.
‘I’ve known him all my life,’ said his nephew OB to USA Today, who was with his uncle when he died peacefully. ‘He was just a joy to be around. He’d bring a smile to your face every time you get around.’
In 1938, Triplett was examined by Austrian child psychiatrist Leo Kanner at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, who was initially baffled by the boy’s symptoms, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Donald Triplett, left, walks with his now-late brother Oliver Triplett in 2016 in Forest, Mississppi
Donald Triplett is pictured in 2007, with authors John Donvan and Caren Zucker
Determined to find a diagnosis, Kanner saw Triplett several more times and by 1943 had seen 10 children with similar symptoms to Triplett.
Finally, Triplett’s autism diagnosis arose from a detailed 22-page letter sent to Kanner containing telling observations by his parents about his aptitudes and behavior.
The letter remains a primary reference document for those who study the disorder.
Triplett, at an early age, displayed challenges with social interactions and an uncanny knack for memorization.
Unsure of what to do, Triplett’s parents committed him to a state institution in 1937 before withdrawing him a year later.
Oliver Triplett, Triplett’s nephew, told The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate that his uncle’s story offers hope to parents of children who are different.
‘They can see Don and a community who embraced him,’ he said.
‘As a whole, Forest encouraged him and accepted him. It gives people who have children on different levels of the spectrum hope that their children can live happy and full lives.’
Funeral services for Triplett will be at 11am on Monday at the Forest Presbyterian Church.