Quick Facts
Biography
Hugh Sharp (1909–1990) an American aviator and university trustee.
Education and career
Civil Air Patrol
On March 5, 1943, the Civil Air Patrol in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, began coastal patrols under Major Sharp, and spotted their first German U-boat on March 10 off Cape May, New Jersey.
Major Sharp and fellow Delawaran Lt. Ed Edwards were honored in U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt's office in Washington, D.C., for a daring sea rescue with the Civil Air Patrol off Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
He was also a recipient of the British Military Cross, the French Croix de Guerre, and Italian Order of Valour.
University of Delaware
On May 18, 1994, the Lewes Campus at the University of Delaware was renamed in his honor. Hugh R. Sharp was an alumnus from the University of Delaware, university trustee (1969–1988) and longtime supporter of the university's College of Marine Studies.
His estate and the university shared the cost of the RV Hugh R. Sharp, a research vessel also named in his honor.