SHARPE, BUREN FRANKLIN (UAMS DONOR) - Desha County, Arkansas | BUREN FRANKLIN (UAMS DONOR) SHARPE - Arkansas Gravestone Photos

Buren Franklin (UAMS Donor) SHARPE

McGehee Cemetery
Desha County,
Arkansas

Edna
March 8, 1904 - Dec 22, 1969
Buren Franklin
Sept 15, 1901 - Sept 28, 1986
Mason
Spouses:
Mildred Parnell Sharpe 1913–2006
Edna Sanderlin Sharpe 1904–1969

UAMS Receives $2 Million Gift from Sharpe Charitable Trust

LITTLE ROCK – After his wife Edna died of cancer in 1969, family and friends say Buren Sharpe wanted to support cancer research somehow. That's why he designated a $2 million gift to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) from the Buren and Edna Sharpe Charitable Remainder Trust. Sharpe, who died in 1986, was a longtime building contractor, civic leader and owner of Buren Sharpe Building Material Company in McGehee. His trust became payable to UAMS upon the 2006 death of his second wife, Mildred P. Sharpe, who had been a lifetime beneficiary. "Buren Sharpe demonstrated a lifelong passion for helping others through his community work and business," said UAMS Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson, M.D. "UAMS is grateful that that spirit can live on through this generous gift." Born in Drew County, Buren Sharpe moved to McGehee in 1924. From then until the mid 1960s, he designed and built dozens of homes around the McGehee area, many of which withstood a major flood in 1927 and some that are still in use today. "He was a warm, deep-thinking man who was always glad to see you," said John T. Clower of McGehee, Buren's stepson, who was part owner of Sharpe Building Materials with Buren for many years. "Buren was one of those people whose advice was often sought on everything from construction to financial matters." Upon his retirement from the construction business, Sharpe started what would be a successful retail building materials company, which he operated until his death at 85. James M. Smith, president of McGehee Bank, which served as the trustee for the Sharpe Trust, worked for the building materials business one summer when home from college in the 1970s. "Buren was a very patient, fair, but stern man," Smith said. "All he expected was an honest, hard-working effort with an eagerness to learn. "In hindsight, these attributes had an invaluable impact while I was in my formative educational years, working part time and learning to deal with the general public." Smith would later find himself learning from Sharpe again as a young bank officer. Sharpe served as a director on the McGehee Bank board from 1963 until his death. Sharpe was a past president of the McGehee Chamber of Commerce and past member of the McGehee Industrial Committee and the advisory committee of the McGehee Hospital Construction Planning Commission. He also was a deacon at First Baptist Church at McGehee. "Everybody loved him," said stepdaughter Mary Clower Jackson of Monticello, whose mother married Sharpe in 1970.

Photograph contributed by:
ronaldconrad@att.net

Contributed on 3/1/18

Suggest a Correction

Record #: 1212013

To request a copy of this photo for your own personal use, please contact our state coordinator. If you are not a family member or the original photographer — please refrain from copying or distributing this photo to other websites.

Thank you for visiting the Arkansas Gravestone Photo Project. On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Arkansas, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.

Submitted: 3/1/18 • Approved: 3/1/18 • Last Updated: 3/4/18 • R1212013-G777471-S3

Surnames  |  Other GPP Projects  |  Contact Us  |  Terms of Use  |  Site Map  |  Admin Login