Founder of worldwide outreach and relief agency to receive Evangel’s Distinguished Alumnus Award

October 3, 2006
Contact: Chuck Cox, alumni relations director, 865-2815 Ext. 7333.

Springfield, MO — The Evangel University Alumni Association will present the 2006 Distinguished Alumnus Award to Don Triplett as part of a special awards ceremony on Oct. 13 during Evangel’s Homecoming chapel service.

Triplett, a 1974 graduate of Evangel, is the founder and executive director of King’s Castle Compassion Ministries, a Christian outreach and relief agency that began in El Salvador and now includes 29 different countries in Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Canada and the United States.

Founded in 1989, King’s Castle incorporates programs for food distribution, medical and dental clinics, K-12 schools and clubs for teens and adults, as well as disaster relief. King’s Castle is in contact with more than 100,000 nationals in El Salvador and more than 80,000 Nicaraguan nationals on a regular basis.

The Last Harvest Master’s Commission school, which was created to train future missionaries from El Salvador, is now based out of the King’s Castle International Training Center.

A multifaceted individual: From Nicaragua to Vietnam to Springfield

Don Triplett grew up in Nicaragua with his parents, Loren and Milly Triplett, who were longtime missionaries there. He also served in the Vietnam War as a sergeant and paratrooper, and earned a Bronze Star. He attended Evangel shortly after returning from active combat.

“I loved my classes and my professors who helped me get my focus on life back in perspective,” Triplett said. “They taught me the greatest lesson of all – integrity.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Evangel, Triplett received his master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Missouri State University in 1976.

Triplett and his wife, Terri, were appointed as Assemblies of God World Missionaries in 1987. They have three daughters, all of whom attended Evangel.