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Wednesday April 13,
2011
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Today I Tonighn 76 1 49
-Ai.V.491§Ttai..1. Vol. 115, No. 88 • Corinth, FFIlississip4.4
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CHS A rani Association
• The Corinth High .School Alumni . Assaciation has named Riith . Shar0 -- retired CHS.. typing • and English teacher as their 2011 Fieulty/Staff of the Year. "Em 89 years old and I retired in '84. At this long a time it is quite a thrill for them to think about me,":me."-: • •
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Sharp was born in Water Valley and graduated from high school there in 1938. She attended - Belhaven College in Jackson; - and Completed degrees in English and Commercial (typing,• shorthand and book-keeping)_ Her first job as an educator was.at Pearl 'River Junior College; where she taught English. "That was one thing I said I didn't want. to do," Sharp said of her first teaching job. "Back• in my day, about all women could do was be a teacher or work in an office or be .e nurse. Now the field is . wide open. Isn't that wonderful?"' Sharp was offered her first teaching job while still in college. She recalled being summoned by the college dean. and told that there was somebody from the Delta looking for a teacher for a school there. Later Sharp would teach English at Pearl River Juninr•C011ege for three years, . Again, the job seemed to come to' her: .• lg got a call., from .Pearl Sharp, Pato 7A
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From Page IA River Junior College. A teacher couldn't finish the term out in Commercial work, - and I would come down and finish the term out," Sharp recalled. • "That was just a Godsend. I had nothing to do with that," she said. While working at Pearl River she met her husband, Richard, a veteran of World War II who grew up in Guys, Tenn. She spent a semester teaching in Durant, was married to Richard, and moved to Memphis. After teaching at Ramer High School for a year -- where she opened the Commercial Department -- she moved to Corinth. Sharp said she was offered a job to teach at Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville, but with a year-and-a-half-old child to care for, she said she couldn't bring herself to endure the hazardous two-lane drive every day with her baby at home. Then she was offered a job teaching sixth grade at Corinth by Superintendent Anderson, who Sharp described as "quite the gentleman and a good superintendent." Sharp wanted to teach Older students, but she said Anderson made her a deal, If she would teach the sixth graders for the rest of the year, she Would have her choice of what class she wanted to teach the next year. The next year Anderson was true to his word and Sharp was moved to high school where she would teach English and Typing until her retirement in 1984. Students Pay Tribute Many of her former students remember -
Sharp as a demanding teacher who showed a determined interest in their education. The tell of an attentive, dedicated instructor who instilled lessons that would last a lifetime. "It thrilled me to death when I thought they were learning -certainly wanted them to learn and to do their best," Sharp said. "The claim I pushed them a little and 1 don't doubt it. I hope I did it the right way." Don Dalton graduated with the class of 1970. He said that he's written for public consumption almost every day since college -- in radio, as a sports editor and reporter for The Daily Corinthian, as a hospital public relations o cer and currently as vice president for the North Carolina Hospital Association. "She taught me my trade. Yes, I learned fundamental English from her but, more importantly, I learned the power of a well-crafted sentence and the truth that good writing is clear thinking Made visible. She taught me how to communicate. I've made my living doe ing so. I. would never have achieved the success nor experienced the joys I have were it not for her determination to see me learn," Dalton said.
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"I am forever grateful," ,' he added, Dotty Fortenberry, of the class of '82, said thanks to Sharp she could still diagram a sentence if the need arose, and she always laughs at the humorous result of a dangling participle. Carolyn Ellenburg Davis recalled how Sharp's compassion helped her and her husband, Mike, through the death of their son. "Mike and I had the experience of being on the receiving end of Mrs. Sharp's extreme love and compassion when we lost our son. There are few teachers in the world today who have the ability to guide, lead, love and charm," Davis said. "I can look back now and know Mrs. Sharp was one of the most dedicated teachers I had. She
was tough but she had to be. I really had some class clowns in 3rd period typing. They would try to give her a hard time but she was Ruth Sharp. She could take it and give it right back to you, said Becky Belue Brown, of the class of '76. "She was a great teacher even if she had to scare the life out of you to get you to do your work," Brown added. "Somebody needs to take you a little further than you think you can go, and if I had any kind of influence on them going down the road further than they thought they could that would be quite a blessing," Sharp explained.
A Happy Life Sharp retired from Corinth High School in 1984. She currently lives in Corinth. Although she lives alone, she said that
there are enough good people around to keep her from being lonely., "My life has been a godsend;" Sharp said. "it's been a happy life and people have been so nice to me and my family, and Corinth's a great place to be. We have a lot of good people here."
The Corinth Alumni Association will honor Sharp as the 2011 Faculty/'Staff of the Year from 6 until 8 p.m. Thursday at KC's Espresso in downtown Corinth. For more information contact Caddie Emmons of Me CHS Alumni ASSOdation at 662-415-2206.