“A Champion Who Earned His Reward”

By Sonny Dixon

 

When Tom Triplett departed this life, just before noon on Friday, the 23rd of June, we lost a true community champion on whom we relied for the better part of a half century. He was greatly respected and deeply loved by untold many whose lives he touched through the years.

Many know much of his service. Probably few recall it all. He served in the Georgia House of Representatives for eighteen years and was the Chairman of the House Transportation Committee fourteen of those years. He served as a member of the Governor’s Judicial Nominating Commission and on the World Congress Center Overview Committee and the powerful Policy Committee. He served on the Department of Transportation Board for ten years and then served on Congressman Max Burns’ Congressional Staff. He was former Mayor and Councilman for the City of Port Wentworth, a former member of the Chatham Savannah Board of Education, and was on the Memorial Hospital Authority Board. Governor Sonny Perdue appointed him to the Herty Foundation Board.

His extensive public service was performed while he built and maintained a highly successful career in banking, becoming a top executive at then C&S Bank.

Though his manner was quiet, Tom Triplett’s accomplishments spoke loudly and clearly of his considerable abilities and relentless work ethic. While he was perhaps best known for the transportation improvements he championed, he was also a courageous visionary for projects that would prove valuable in time, but that may have been questioned initially, like the Georgia World Congress Center and the Georgia Dome.

Beyond his public service, Tom was a devout man of faith, devoted to his family, and thoughtful of his many friends.  

Many in his broad circle of friends perhaps related best to Tom through his hobbies. He was an amazing fisherman, who could catch fish (especially bass) when no one else got as much as a nibble.  As a hunter, he almost never came home empty handed. He loved to play golf. But, he may have enjoyed his old cars best of all – whether classic, interesting (to him) – or fast!

The community publicly acknowledged Tom Triplett’s contributions when they named a portion of Georgia 21 “The Tom Triplett Parkway”.  A popular park on U.S. Hwy 80 in Pooler bears his name.

But his imprint was left far beyond these locales. His legacy of roads, bridges, buildings and useful public programs will be long valued.   But, his greatest legacy is the clear and irrefutable record of service – proof that such a man of matchless integrity, unyielding principle and deepest faith, could engage the world of politics – for good – all the while living a life that surely made his earthly and Heavenly Father proud.

Tom’s father, 94-year old Rev. Carl Triplett, still lives in Kingsport Tennessee.   The years wouldn’t let him attend his son’s funeral with the hundreds who gathered at First Baptist in Rincon on that rainy Sunday afternoon.  But he sent along these words….

“I really wanted to come - but please - thank the people of that area for loving and supporting my son so much and so well for all these years. I’m really proud of him!”

Rev. Carl... so are we.

(Editor’s Note: Tom Triplett asked Sonny Dixon to run for his office as State Representative when he decided not to run for re-election. Former Rep. Sonny Dixon is now a news anchor with WTOC-TV.)