GOODBYES
Tribute to a Great Man On the morning of July 18, 2013, Roland Paul Sharp, D.O., passed away peacefully. Upon learning the news, the entire WVSOM community, near and far, began to grieve. It is rare to find someone as universally loved and respected as Dr. Sharp, the founding president of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. For many West Virginians, he was a beloved friend, family physician and educator who provided a model of service leadership. He was 105 years old at his passing. During a July 3 visit by WVSOM faculty, staff and students to his White Sulphur Springs residence, Dr. Sharp’s mind was alert and memories of the early days of the school were as clear and bright as if they’d just happened. He led a simple life — an extraordinary life — which he chronicled with warmth and humor in a series of audio taped interviews for Allegheny Mountain Radio. His personal recollections were then published in book form by the Pocahontas Communications Cooperative: Roland Sharp – Country Doctor: Memories of a Life Well Lived. “Dr. Sharp was an extraordinary man. His values and vision shaped this institution. His compassionate mentorship of the school’s first graduates transformed them into role models of patient-centered care. And his unwavering commitment to rural primary care defined who we are today. He will be greatly missed.”
Born in 1907 on a small farm in Frost, W.Va., Sharp taught in one-room schoolhouses for more than a decade in order to earn the money to pay for college, graduating from Concord State Normal School (now Concord University) at age 28. Subsequently, he earned
MICHAEL ADELMAN, D.O., J.D., D.P.M.
a master’s degree from the biology department at WVU.
PRESIDENT
It took him another six years to complete his medical school education and residency requirements at the
“Dr. Sharp was one of the best storytellers I ever had the pleasure of hearing. I loved to hear about his life. Through the years, I came to learn that Dr. Sharp faced some real challenges, just as we all do. There was hardship and personal loss. Once when we were talking, he ended a story about himself with a comment I’ve never forgotten. ‘Nothing in life turned out as I had planned. It turned out better.’ That was the essence of the man.”
Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (now A.T. Still
SALLY COOPER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WVSOM FOUNDATION,
professor said ‘We’ve taken 50 students. We have 50
2005-2013
places. We can take 50 students in our second year. If
University) in Missouri. To help make ends meet, he worked as the school’s histology-embryology instructor, then as acting chair of pathology and, finally, assistant professor of anatomy. The culture of Kirksville had a profound impact on Sharp. In his memoir he recalls “When I went to Kirksville, the
you do not reach the second year, your background will
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WVSOM MAGAZINE
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SUMMER 2013
