Aaron John Sharp (July 29, 1904 – November 16, 1997), known professionally as Jack Sharp, was an American

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

and bryologist, considered an expert on

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

es.

Early life

Sharp was raised on a dairy farm near East Liberty, Ohio. He attended Ohio Wesleyan University and earned his degree in botany in 1927. After receiving his undergraduate degree, Sharp was introduced to bryology by George Elwood Nichols while taking his classes at the University of Michigan Biological Station. Sharp earned his

M.S. A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...

from the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

while studying under Paul Sears in 1929.

Career

In 1929, Sharp moved to

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

and began teaching at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

. Although he was accepted into the Ph.D program at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, financial troubles led him to complete his doctorate at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

in 1938. Sharp became a full professor at the University of Tennessee in 1946, and between 1951 and 1961, he was head of the Department of Botany. Sharp served as president of the Botanical Society of America in 1965. He retired from the University of Tennessee in 1974 but remained as an

emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

professor. Sharp was made Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1992.

Legacy

Two genera of moss were named in his honor; '' Neosharpiella'' in the family Bartramiaceae in 1973, and '' Unclejackia'' (in family

Brachytheciaceae Brachytheciaceae is a family of mosses from the order Hypnales. The family includes over 40 genera and 250 species. Description The family consists of pleurocarpous mosses with very diverse appearances. They are irregular or pinnately branche ...

) by Daniel H. Norris in 1999. A species of shrub, '' Magnolia sharpii'' was also named by Dr. Faustino Miranda in 1955. Two awards bear his name; The Sharp Fund is a monetary award at the University of Tennessee for floristic studies in plants, and The Sharp Award of the

American Bryological and Lichenological Society The American Bryological and Lichenological Society is an organization devoted to the scientific study of all aspects of the biology of bryophytes and lichen-forming fungi and is one of the nation's oldest botanical organizations. It was original ...

is presented to the best student paper at each annual meeting.

Awards

*Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

, 1944 *

Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated d ...

, 1944–1946 *Honorary Doctorate of Science, Ohio Wesleyan University, 1952 *Merit Award of the Botanical Society of America, 1973 *Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Tennessee, 1974 *Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award, Southern Appalachian Botanical Society, 1989 *

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

(3rd class),

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, 1990 *Distinguished Service Award, Tennessee Environmental Education Association, 1991 *Fellow of the Linnean Society, 1992 *Distinguished Achievement Citation, Ohio Wesleyan University, 1993 *Eloise Payne Luguer Medal, Garden Club of America, 1993

Selected publications

* * *Sharp, A. J.; H. Crum; P. M. Eckel, eds. (1994). ''Moss Flora of Mexico''. Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 69, vols. 1–2. * *

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp, Aaron John American bryologists 1904 births 1997 deaths Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows of the Linnean Society of London University of Tennessee faculty Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class 20th-century American botanists