Carl J. Sharp*
Class of 1955
- Chairman of the Board Acme Steel Company
The American free enterprise system permits every individual to carve out his own future.
Carl Sharp attended only one year of high school, opting to enter the working world instead. In his first job, he earned $7.50 a week. He held various positions, including general sales manager for Cornell Wood Products Company and vice president of a specialty manufacturer, before becoming president and, in 1953, chairman of Acme Steel Company. He rose to those positions after starting there as assistant general sales manager.
By the end of the 1950s, Acme Steel was among the top 300 industrial corporations in the United States. Sharp's early struggle in life prompted him to become president of Glenwood School for Dependent Boys, a home for 250 boys from broken homes.