Evelyn Genevieve "Sharpie" Sharp (October 1, 1919 – April 3, 1944) was an American

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

. She was a member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). Sharp died at age 24, when the plane she was flying lost an engine during takeoff.

Early life

Sharp was born Lois Genevieve Crouse on October 1, 1919, in

Melstone, Montana Melstone is a rural small town in far eastern Musselshell County, Montana, United States, along U.S. Route 12. The population was 126 at the 2020 census. The town was established in 1908 as a base for operating crews on the Chicago, Milwaukee, S ...

, to Elsie Adelie Haeske Crouse and Orla Crouse.Sharpie: The Life Story of Evelyn Sharp, by Diane Ruth Armour Bartels She was adopted by John and Mary Sharp two months later, on December 22, 1919, and her name was changed to Evelyn Genevieve Sharp. The Sharps moved to Ord, Nebraska, in 1924 and opened a grocery store. In 1928, Orla Sharp purchased a ranch and tried ranching for a time, but within a year sold the ranch and returned to Ord, where he opened a cafe and offered rooms to let.

Introduction to aviation

In 1935, when Sharp was sixteen, Jack Jefford opened a flying school in Ord and rented a room from the Sharps. Unable to pay his rent at one point, he offered to teach Sharp how to fly instead. After 25 lessons over the course of 13 months, she flew solo in an

Aeronca C-3 The Aeronca C-3 was a light plane built by the Aeronca Aircraft, Aeronautical Corporation of America in the United States during the 1930s. Design and development Its design was derived from the Aeronca C-2. Introduced in 1931 in aviation, 1931, ...

on March 4, 1936. At age eighteen, she received her commercial pilot's license and acquired her first airplane with the help of local businessmen. Sharp repaid them with money she earned from barnstorming. She became an airplane instructor at age 20. Over 350 men learned to fly under her instruction. While not the first American female airmail pilot (

Katherine Stinson Katherine Stinson (February 14, 1891 – July 8, 1977) was an aviation pioneer who in 1912 became the fourth woman in the United States to earn the FAI pilot certificate. She set flying records for aerobatic maneuvers, distance, and endurance. ...

), she was certainly among the first.

World War II

Sharp was one of the original Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) pilots, with over 3,000 flight hours logged when she joined. The WAFS (under

Nancy Love Nancy Harkness Love (February 14, 1914 – October 22, 1976), born Hannah Lincoln Harkness, was an American pilot and airplane commander during World War II. She earned her pilot's license at age 16. She worked as a test pilot and air racer in th ...

) were soon merged with the

Women's Flying Training Detachment The Women's Flying Training Detachment was a group of women pilots during World War II. Their main job was to take over male pilot's jobs, such as ferrying planes from factories to United States Army Air Force installations, in order to free male pi ...

(under

Jacqueline Cochran Jacqueline Cochran (May 11, 1906 – August 9, 1980) was an American pilot and business executive. She pioneered women's aviation as one of the most prominent racing pilots of her generation. She set numerous records and was the first woman to br ...

) to form the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). Sharp died on April 3, 1944, in

Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Cumberland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 259,469. Its county seat is Carlisle. Cumberland County is included in the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. Histo ...

, when the

P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive tw ...

she was ferrying lost an engine on takeoff from New Cumberland Airport and crashed. She was 24 years old.

Legacy

At the time of her death she was a squadron commander, only three flights from her fifth rating, the highest certificate then available to women. She is buried in Ord, Nebraska, where a public airfield, the Evelyn Sharp Field Airport, has been named for her. Every June, Ord celebrates Evelyn Sharp Days in her honor. In 1992, Sharp was inducted into the Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame. In 2018, a memorial to Sharp was dedicated at the Pfeiffer Memorial Arboretum and Nature Preserve in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, at the site of the plane crash. On August 26-27, 2023, a pair of Sharp's earrings in the shape of tiny P-38 aircraft were worn at the Guardians of Freedom Air Show in Lincoln, Nebraska, by Air Force Capt. Aimee “Rebel” Fiedler — an F-16C fighter pilot with the Viper Team.

References

External links

Collection of articles about Evelyn SharpTexas Women's University profile of Evelyn SharpNational Museum of the USAF biography of Evelyn Sharp
*

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070707040218/http://wwii-women-pilots.org/WASP_KIA/38KIA.html Short biography of Evelyn Sharp along with the other 38 women who died, serving as WASP pilots during World War II]
Article about memorial dedication at crash site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp, Evelyn 1919 births 1944 deaths Accidental deaths in Pennsylvania United States Army Air Forces personnel killed in World War II Aviators from Montana Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States People from Musselshell County, Montana People from Ord, Nebraska United States airmail pilots Women Airforce Service Pilots personnel