|
IN MEMORIAM
ERNEST A. SHARPE
Ernest Alonzo Sharpe, or Dr. Sharpe,
as we all affectionately called him, was a very special and gifted
teacher. The Department of Advertising owes to Dr. Sharpe its existence
and its continuous commitment to quality. He was, and always will
be, a role model for those who choose advertising as a profession
and teaching as an avocation.
Dr. Sharpe loved The University
of Texas. He obtained three degrees from our University, a B.J.
in 1939, a B.A. in 1940 and a Master's in Journalism in 1941.
In addition to his academic education, Dr. Sharpe amassed a rich
experience in his field, by serving as a Vice Consul for the
Department of State in three foreign posts, and by working in
advertising at two major newspapers and a radio station.
In 1946, Dr. Sharpe joined the
faculty in the Department of Journalism, and in 1972, when the
Department of Advertising was created, Dr. Sharpe held a dual
appointment in Journalism and Advertising, until his retirement.
The professional and academic
accomplishments of Dr. Sharpe are many, a simple review of his
resume indicates how indefatigably he dedicated himself to all
those tasks that are so important in a University: a master teacher
and a fertile writer, he also spent innumerable hours serving
on every academic committee and every administrative assignment
he was asked to perform.
It is through his students, however,
that we get to know the most important contributions Dr. Sharpe
has made to his University and his Departments. His office door
was never closed, and his home was a haven to all those who were
homesick, somewhat lost, or just hoping for a home-cooked meal.
He never forgot a student's name, never forgot a face. Ten, twenty,
even thirty years after their graduation, students would receive
notes of congratulation from him, as they succeeded in their
professional careers. He remembered their questions, understood
their weaknesses, and shaped their lives as no other professor
had done. He was in fact responsible for the first generation
of advertising professionals in Texas, those who built the first
advertising agencies in this state. Ernest Sharpe was more than
a respected colleague for the members of the advertising faculty.
He was our leader and our critic, he inspired us, and made sure
that we did not compromise our goals. He was instrumental in
building and developing a department, when very few other advertising
departments existed in our country. He listened as carefully
as he spoke, and his kindness brought together as a team a number
of young and driven faculty members who learned to dream of and
to work for the excellence that he always demanded of himself.
A unique and gentle master, he
could be firm and inflexible. His ethical principles were never
compromised. His dedication never wavered. Dr. Ernest Sharpe
will always be remembered fondly by all those who knew him as
a model, a teacher, and a very special human being.
<signed>
Larry R. Faulkner, President
The University of Texas at Austin
<signed>
John R. Durbin, Secretary
The General Faculty
This Memorial Resolution was prepared
by a special committee consisting of Professors Isabella C. M.
Cunningham (Chair), John Murphy, and Gary Wilcox.
|
