George and Danielle Sharp Endowed Faculty Scholar in Field Geology

In 2025, George C. Sharp Jr., ’67, ’68, M.S. ’69, and Danielle R. Sharp, ’68, created an endowed faculty fund to support geology faculty members who are engaged in teaching in the geology field camp program.

A highlight of George’s geology education at Oregon State University was attending geology field camp in Mitchell, Oregon, where he learned from the field camp program founder, W. D. “Doc” Wilkinson, and Keith Oles. Now, the Sharps’ gift will support field geology teaching excellence in perpetuity, supporting faculty members who provide hands-on instruction to students through the geology field camp program that has been in operation for almost 100 years.

Shortly after earning their bachelor’s degrees in 1968, George and Danielle married, taking a honeymoon trip to the Pioneer Range of Southwest Montana, where they camped for three months and where George completed field mapping for his geology master’s thesis. He worked as a petroleum geologist for Shell and Tenneco Oil Company before spending 25 years at Weyerhaeuser as director of mineral resources. He later started his own consulting company, Sharp Geological LLC, to help large timberland owners manage their mineral resources. Danielle used her elementary education degree for a teaching career, taking time off to care for their two children. The couple volunteer with numerous organizations and George has served on OSU’s Geosciences Board of Advisors. The Sharps have also created a fund supporting geology graduate students.