George L. Sharp

George L. (Larry) Sharp, 72 died May 4, 2011 in Las Cruces. Larry was born and raised in the Philadelphia, PA area. He told many stories of his youth as the cherished son, obstreperous brother, class clown, accomplished athlete, family crooner and piano player. After graduation from Upper Darby High School, he attended Penn State University where he played football and became a true Penn State fanatic. In October of 1957 while "horsing around" on the trampoline at Penn State, he injured his neck resulting in life long quadriplegia. After several surgeries and more than a year of rehabilitation at Rusk Institute in N.Y.C., Larry returned home to live with his parents, Dorothy and George. Remarkably his life did not go down the path of regret and remorse but rather, he became the "poster boy" for optimism, forward thinking and perseverance. Having to give up many physical pursuits, he became a voracious reader. In 1967 the family moved to New Jersey. Larry soon became the "project" of his Division of Vocational Rehabilitation counselor Anne Petty, who convinced the State of New Jersey to invest in higher education for this quadriplegic - a first. He started back to school at Atlantic Community College in N.J. where he earned his Associates Degree. He then went on to earn his Bachelors Degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Miami (Fla) in 1972. In the summer of 1971 Larry met Jan Lancaster on the beach in Avalon, N.J. He asked her if she would be willing to type a research paper for him and she eagerly agreed despite being a terrible typist. They were married in 1973. In January of 1974 Larry and Jan ventured west to Las Cruces in order for Larry to take advantage of an assistantship offered by NMSU to aid him in pursuing an advanced degree. After completing his Masters Degree in 1975, Larry went on to earn his PhD in Counseling and Educational Psychology from NMSU in January of 1978. By this time the southwest had grown on them and they had no desire to move away. Over the next few years, the family welcomed a son, Jonathan, their pride and joy. Then in 1985 Larry had a custom home built to accommodate his family and unique physical requirements. Several years later he acquired specially equipped van which allowed him to drive again! Las Cruces had become their home. In April of 1980 Larry began what was to become a 30 year career with the Dona Ana Community College. Over that span of time, it was his pleasure to work in Student Services, continue to educate himself, embrace change and become a loyal and trusted colleague, counselor and student advocate. By the time of his retirement in July, 2010 he had attained the position of Coordinator of Counseling where he also served students with disabilities and acted as DACC's ADA compliance adviser. After retirement he continued to host family get togethers, watch his beloved Penn State football, listen to music and enjoy all the varied offerings of NetFlix. Those left behind to remember and speak his name are his wife Jan, son Jonathan, sister Dorothy, in-laws Matt and Sharon Lancaster, six nieces and nephews and many friends and colleagues. A Memorial celebration for Larry will be held at the Farm and Ranch Museum's Organ View Terrace on Friday, May 20th at 1:30 In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to The Dr. Larry Sharp Memorial Scholarship Fund 2800 N. Sonoma Ranch Blvd. MSC3DA P.O. Box 30001 Las Cruces NM 88003-8001 Attn. Development office. PDF Printable Version