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I have had the honor of speaking to a few more of those who went to high school in Richland, Washington with Sharon.
Clifton Bowers says:
Well ... I may not be much help as to a resource for fleshing out commentary on Sharon. My memories or let us say recollections are somewhat faint. I recall being in a biology class with her and she was so glamorous she was a distraction to the male populous.
I think her dad was in the military and when she came to Columbia High (Richland High now) it was because of the national security for the Hanford Operations.
As a natural beauty she really stood out. I'm sure others knew her more on a personal basis. I recall she got her public break on a Pat Boone special in Rome, Italy which 'wowed' all of us locals...but I'm sure you have those more public references. I just remember her as someone who was really nice and extremely beautiful. It was sad that she had such a tragic end to her life.
Mike Brady remembers her in a similar way:
I didn't know Sharon very well. I was one of those nerdy guys who admired her from afar.
Judy Campbell says:
We were in some classes together, and had she remained in Richland beyond her sophomore year, she would have been in our 1961 graduating class. At the early age of sixteen, Sharon was a strikingly beautiful young woman. She was destined to have a future in films. No one ever expected her young life to end so tragically.
Irene Hays says:
She was in my grade during Junior High and High School. She was very pretty and sweet. People thought she was special even then.
Carol Jean Thompson adds:
I knew Sharon but was not one of her circle of friends. She was a strikingly beautiful girl, physically mature beyond her age. And not withstanding, a very nice person, well liked by her classmates. Sharon was of average intelligence and I believe susceptible to exploitation, which was probably happening while still in Richland. She was queen of "Atomic Frontier Days" or what is now known as the TriCity Waterfollies(the local community celebrations all towns have)at 15 or 16; too young for that sort of exposure. It has saddened me deeply that Sharon was so savagely killed and forever identified with such a violent crime.
I found a great old photo of Sharon during this period in her life. Sorry it is not better but it is improved from the Xerox copy I had by an artist who did the best she could with it. I hope you all enjoy it. As I reach more who knew Sharon I will continue to post it here.
If you read the first intry of my blog here you read about Tim Avedovech, a former classmate of Sharon's, and how he remembered Sharon.
I came in contact with another of Sharon's friends from High School, Michael Ragland. He shared his thoughts and memories with me as well:
Sharon and I ran in the same general crowd. She knew who I was and everyone knew who she was. I don't think we were ever introduced. We just started talking to each other. It was hard for me to believe that Sharon would spend time with someone like me, when she was so beautiful. I quickly learned that Sharon was the nicest and sweetest person I had ever met.
We never "dated" like the word means now, but we did go out together on several occasions. Her parents didn't really approve of me as I was older and really wild in those days. She went out with several guys from time to time until she met Bill Smithers. After that, it was just Bill until she moved to Italy.
A lot of times, there weren't dates, but just a group of us ending up together in the same place and hanging out. There was a place called By's Burgers that served as almost a meeting place for almost everyone in high school. We also all attended dances on Wednesday and (I think) Saturday nights. Sharon usually went to the dances, often with a group of girl friends.
We also partied. Ditch parties were nothing more than parties where everyone would drive to a location and drink beer (sometimes wine for the girls) and have fun. Lots of sex, music and general fun. I never knew of Sharon to indulge in the sex aspect, but a lot of other girls did. Most often it would end up with a lot of couples paired off, frequently steady couples.
I don't recall Sharon drinking a lot. Her parents were very strict with her and she knew that drinking would get her into trouble.
Everyone in school knew Sharon. A lot of girls were jealous of her, but she was so nice that everyone liked her. I never heard her say a bad thing about anyone, nor do anything that would hurt someone. She was aware of her beauty, but if anything, seemed to be a little ashamed of being prettier than the other girls. She did, however, take part in activities based on beauty. She was also popular. I recall her being a homecoming princess and the following year (after I had graduated) I believe she was queen.
This recalling is like a deja vous of what Avedovech said. But Ragland adds a few more details.
As I get in touch with others that knew Sharon I will post them here. Please let me hear your comments? Would love to get some feedback. As you can see from these posts, Sharon was truly a memorable lady.
BTW: My first blog has photos of Sharon, one from ebay and one from the great artist, Kerstien Matondang of Sweden. Please be sure and visit her very artistic site: http://www.kerstien.se/sharoninart.htm
