BY DIANNE S. STAGNER
SPECIAL TO THE CITIZEN

Mr. Donald Sharp eagerly awaited the beginning of the school year. He is possibly the oldest active substitute teacher in Fayette County and has taught at East Fayette, Burch, Peeples, Fayette Middle, Flat Rock and Rising Starr schools.

Born in East Providence, Rhode Island in 1926, he is the sixth of twelve children. Although his early childhood was during the Great Depression, Sharp has fond memories. “We always had plenty to eat and clean clothes to wear. Dad was a housepainter,” he remembers, “and Mom was a tiny, feisty lady. She cooked, cleaned, washed and ironed from dawn until long after we had gone to bed, she was always busy.” He continued, “Our family was like the one portrayed on ‘The Waltons,’ except we lived on a river instead of in the mountains. We rode bikes, fished, swam, rafted and canoed. For spending money, my sisters baby-sat and we boys mowed lawns. On Saturdays, we would go to the all day movie. It cost 25 cents to get in.”

Teaching, for Sharp, began around the kitchen table. “We helped each other with schoolwork, whether it was doing a project or learning spelling words,” he said. “My older siblings helped me and I, in turn, helped the younger kids.” In high school, he tutored other students. “I didn’t get money for it,” he said. “It was just the right thing to do.”

Salutatorian of his 340 student senior class, Sharp immediately joined the Navy to be a pilot. He went to Wesleyan University for one year of pre-flight training, and again, he tutored others. ”There were men from the Navy fleet, sent to Wesleyan for Officer’s Training,” he said. “Some had been in the Navy for 15 years and were a little rusty in English or Algebra. I was glad to help them.” The war ended before Sharp ever saw active duty.

He enrolled at Brown University in 1946. His father died in 1947. “I dropped out of college and came home to help mom,” he said. “Some of the kids were still at home. Mom went to work as a practical nurse to make ends meet.” In 1950, he went back to Wesleyan and finished his teaching degree. He accepted his first teaching job at St. Dunstan’s Boy’s Choir School, in Providence, R.I. “I taught fourth grade,” he said. “I made $1,100 a year.” He remained at St. Dunstan’s for nine years, eventually becoming assistant to the headmaster.”

Donald Sharp talked about his most unusual teaching experience, “I tutored a Chinese student from Brown University in calculus. He spoke no English and I spoke no Chinese. He was brilliant and passed the eight week course in a little under four weeks, with a grade of 95. There is much to be said about the universal language of numbers.”

He married Doñajean Clark in 1952. They had three children, two boys and a girl. In 1960, Sharp was offered an administrative position at Holland Hall, a private school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “It was a big decision to move the family so far away,” said Sharp. “But it was a wonderful experience for all of us.” Two headmaster positions followed; the first at Grymes Memorial in Orange, Virginia in 1966, the second at Byrnes Academy in Florence, South Carolina in 1969. “The only downside of being a headmaster was that I didn’t teach anymore. I missed it,” Sharp confessed.

By 1972, students across the nation were protesting administrative control. “Boys wanted long hair and girls wanted short skirts. I was fighting an uphill battle every day.” In 1973, he left the education field and went to work for a national motel chain, remaining in Florence. “It was very different from education, but quite diverse and interesting,” said Sharp.

Sharp retired in 1991. “I had 20 year’s worth of crossword puzzles I had saved to do when I had the time. I think I did them all in the first three months.”

He and Doñajean moved to Fayetteville in 1992. “My daughter lives here, with her husband and their two children. It’s great to be able to see them every day. Our twin grandsons live in Boston, but we just couldn’t handle the cold winters.”

Sharp became a substitute teacher for Fayette County in 1994. “It was wonderful to be teaching again,” he said. “I couldn’t wait for the phone to ring.” Donald Sharp chose to stay in primary and middle schools. “Children are so eager to learn at these levels, it’s rewarding to be a part of their education. Education is the foundation for success,” he continued. “You should never stop learning, no matter what your age.”

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