Truett was born in St. Joseph, Missouri where his father was district missionary for the Missouri Baptist Convention. After graduation from OBU, he attended Southwestern and Midwestern Baptist Seminaries and graduated with a master of divinity degree in 1962. After serving eleven years as pastor of churches in Oklahoma and Missouri, Truett completed his formal education with a master's degree in social work. From 1974 until retirement in 1999, he worked in Christian Social Ministry, rounding out his career with a fi fteen year tenure as president of Arizona Baptist Children's Services. Truett was elected president of both state and national organizations in his career field. He taught… social work as an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Social Work at Arizona State University. Honors included Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Arizona State University School of Social Work, and the Arizona Council of Human Service Providers. Truett was awarded an honorary Doctor of Human Services Degree.His publications include several articles and two books in the fields of social work and genealogy.