Gene Triplett, a powerhouse of Oklahoma journalism who was inducted into two state halls of fame after a long career with The Oklahoman, died on June 6. He was 77.
Triplett held several roles at the newspaper. He was The Oklahoman’s longest-serving city editor, but was perhaps most well known for being editor and columnist for The Oklahoman’s entertainment section before he retired in 2013.
In that role, he cultivated the respect of both his peers and of those he wrote about, earning both state and national awards for reporting and writing. His career was further recognized in 2011 when he became only the second journalist ever inducted to the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Six years later, colleagues in the news business honored Triplett by naming him into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
After retiring, Triplett wrote two books set in Oklahoma called “Wheel Man” and “Mr. Gone.” His authorship let him work again with longtime colleague Joe Hight, who until this year was an owner of Edmond’s Best of Books bookstore.
Hight was once Triplett’s deputy on the city news desk, and later oversaw Triplett’s entertainment section as managing editor.
“Gene had this rare talent of beng able to write and have a knowledge of the entertainment industry that few people have. Plus, he was a great newsman, too,” Hight said.
Triplett knew how to handle difficult situations and difficult people, which made him a great journalist, Hight said.
“There are some great reporters who are not great writers, and there are some great writers who are not great reporters, but Gene was both,” said Hight. “He was able to combine both to do his work so elegantly and so well.”
Triplett was raised in Oklahoma City. After serving in Vietnam with the U.S. Army, he graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1975 with a degree in journalism. He went straight to work for a newspaper, and eventually found his way to The Daily Oklahoman, the newspaper that was later renamed The Oklahoman.
Triplett is survived by his wife of 58 years, Carol, and his son, Aaron. A memorial for Triplett at the University of Central Oklahoma is being planned.
Carol told The Oklahoman that Gene was proud of his major entertainment reviews that graced the cover of the newspaper. He interviewed many great artists like Paul McCartney, Meryl Streep, Mick Jagger, Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, Cary Grant, Steven Spielberg, Denzel Washington and Glenn Close. His favorite interview, she said, was with Jack Nicholson.
While covering the local entertainment scene, Triplett was also one of the earliest writers to extensively cover The Flaming Lips before they rose to international stardom.
Triplett was also proud of his part leading the news teams that covered the Oklahoma City Bombing and the May 3, 1999 tornado that devastated Moore, events that Carol said lingered on her husband for years.
“It affected him deeply, and his biggest concern was for the reporters he had to send out to do all the interviews and coverage, not just the day of the bombing but for weeks and months after,” Carol said. “He was real proud of the team and the newspaper as a whole for that coverage.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.oklahoman.com ’
