E. Allen Triplett was born on a dairy farm near Hillsboro, Texas, during the depression years. The house in which he was reared was upgraded with electricity, running water, and butane after WWII. He earned degrees in Future Farmers of America, culminating with its highest degree, the American Farmer Degree in 1953. After high school, Triplett attended Navarro Junior College, transferring to Sam Houston State Teachers College, where in 1956 he earned his BS in Agriculture and his M.Ed. in 1962. He married his sweetheart from Navarro in 1956 and began his teaching career at Hillsboro that fall, teaching chemistry and biology. Triplett never lost his appreciation for agriculture, realizing that it is an essential enterprise to feed and clothe the people of the world. The Tripletts believe, "You live on what you earn. You make a difference with what you share".