Donald Triplett, the first person diagnosed with autism, has died at age 89

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The Mississippi man known as Case 1, the first person diagnosed with autism, has died

FOREST, Miss. — The Mississippi man known as Case 1, the first person diagnosed with autism, has died.

Donald G. Triplett is the subject of a book entitled In a Different Key, a PBS documentary film, a BBC news magazine installment and countless medical journal articles.

But to employees at the Bank of Forest, in a small city about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Jackson, he was simply Don,” WLBT-TV reported.

Triplett died Thursday, confirmed Lesa Davis, the bank’s senior vice president. He is 89.

Triplett worked for 65 years at the bank where his father, Beamon Triplett, was a major shareholder.

Don was a remarkable individual, CEO Allen Breland said of Triplett, known as a fiercely independent savant. And it keeps things interesting.

Triplett, a 1958 graduate of Millsaps College, enjoyed golf and traveling and often flew to exotic places, Breland said.

He’s in his own world, but if you give him two, three-digit numbers, he can multiply them faster than you can get the answer on a calculator,” he told the television station.

Triplett’s autism diagnosis arose from a detailed 22-page letter sent to a Johns Hopkins researcher in Baltimore containing his parents’ observations of his abilities and behavior. The letter remains a key reference document for students of the conflict.

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 will see Don and a community that embraced him, he said. All in all, Forest encouraged him and accepted him. It gives hope to people who have children on different levels of the spectrum that their children will live happy and full lives.

Funeral services for Triplett will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Forest Presbyterian Church.

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