Jim Triplett

(From Bath-Naylor Funeral Home)

Longtime Biology professor and conservationist Jim Triplett, 81, of Pittsburg, died on Dec. 20, 2024, at Via Christi Village after a battle with cancer. to Robert Triplett and Mary Lou Triplett (ne Shaner).

He was born on November 19, 1943, in Webb City, Missouri.

Triplett dedicated a lifetime to every natural resource and conservation-related activity he could find. His connection to Pittsburg State began as a student in 1962 and continued for decades as a professor, chair of the Biology Department, and most recently a special assistant to the president.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree from what was then Kansas State College of Pittsburg in 1966, followed by a Master’s degree in 1968. Triplett served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, then earned his PhD at the University of Kansas in 1976.

He was hired as an assistant professor at Pittsburg State in 1981 and was appointed Biology chair in 1985, serving 23 years in that role until stepping down in 2008 to focus solely on teaching and conservation projects.

In 1998, he married Shirley Drew, a professor of Communication at Pittsburg State. She survives of the home.

In 2014, he retired from teaching but didn’t stop serving, moving into an emeritus office in Hartman Hall where he could curate the PSU Museum of Ichthyology and Herpetology, and spearhead initiatives related to sustainability.

Triplett helped to launch the university’s new Students for Sustainability organization and create the state’s first Bachelor of Integrated Studies in Sustainability, Society, and Resource Management.

He lobbied hard for the new degree, advocating that it would put graduates in a position to help solve some of the nation’s most difficult and important problems.

Triplett served on the Governor’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee for many years, was chair of the Neosho Basin Advisory Committee from 1985 to 2015, and was chair of the Crawford County Solid Waste Planning Commission.

He was a leader in the Grand Lake Watershed Alliance Foundation and a member of the Spring River Watershed Restoration and Protection Leadership Team.

He was instrumental in forming the Southeast Kansas Recycling Center in Pittsburg and served as its president for many years. In November, the organization dedicated its primary building in his name.
Triplett wrote numerous articles and gave many presentations about natural resources, aquatic life, conservation, and sustainability for regional, state, and national audiences.

In 2017, he was honored as the Kansas Conservation Champion by the Kansas Natural Resources Council.

In addition to his wife Shirley, he is survived by a son, Nathaniel Triplett (Stephanie), a daughter, Kellie Triplett (Julie Brozovich), and three grandchildren, Ashely Conley (Ryan), Josh Triplett (Lisa), all of Colorado Springs, CO., and Bryon Triplett of Pittsburg, KS.

Arrangements are under the direction of Bath-Naylor Funeral Home in Pittsburg. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to SEK Recycling and the Pittsburg State University Biology Department. Condolences may be left at our website www.bathnaylor.com.