Today I had a very enjoyable conversation with Mr. James M. Sharp
of Tuscumbia, Alabama.  Mr. Roscoe O'Bannon had told me that James M.
Sharp was the son of M.F. Sharp who I had run accross accounts of him
being friends and business associates with Roscoe Turner as early as
1923.

        James M. Sharp told me that he had received the information that
I sent him regarding his father, M.F.Sharp, and Roscoe Turner.  He said
that he recalled Roscoe Turner very well- Roscoe stayed at their house
often while he was in that area.  Mr. Sharp used to have a photo of
Roscoe taken about that time but has been unable to find it.

       Mr. Sharp was born in 1917 and is now 77 years old.  He remembers
Roscoe Turner very well, the most outstanding features in his mind were
the snappy uniform and Roscoe's size which he remembers as being very
large.  His father was a very small man and he remembers people referring
to them as "Mutt and Jeff" because of the disparity in their sizes.

       His most memorable story recalled his father and Roscoe's idea to
make him the youngest pilot in the world.  He was eight years old at the
time.  He said the diving accident and death on July 5, 1925, over the
lake was the end of that idea.  His mother put an end to that in no
uncertain terms.

      Mr. Sharp thinks his father and Roscoe once flew under the Florence
bridge, despite it being illegal, but doesn't know any of the details.
He recalls Roscoe could fly over their house, cut the motor, and shout
down instructions to his father.  He remembers Roscoe flying over the
courthouse and dropping roses in some type memorial service.

      His father told him that if he ever needed a job to write to
Roscoe.  He did that after his service in WWII and Roscoe told him to
come to Indianapolis and he would put him to work but he had so much
traveling in WWII he did not want to leave home.

      Mr. James Sharp took and passed a Piper aviation training course
offered by the Army before WWII.  After he joined the Army and was sent
overseas, he received a notice to report for fighter pilot training when
he was in Bombay suffering from Malaria after almost having accumulated
enough service credit to be returned home.  Mr. Sharp says he was always
a good "seat-of-the-pants" flyer but never was very good at navigation
skills.

      Mr. Sharp and his father were related to Molly, Kate, Jake, Jack,
Sam and Ella Sharp of the Kendrick community near Corinth.  My wife
Stephanie confirmed that Sharp had been a very prominent family in this
area.  Everyone is aware of the donation of a large parcel of land just
Northeast of Corinth to Mississippi State University several years ago.
The area known as "Sharp's Bottom" contained some prime, virgin timber
lands and was known to have a great deal of wildlife.  It is probable
that Roscoe Turner's connection with M.F.Sharp or his relatives went back
to Roscoe's childhood.

        James M. Sharp to Milton Sandy, Jr. -  July 10, 1994

        Mr. James M. Sharp
        1005 N. Broad St.
        Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674

        205-383-2156