Edward Alfred Sharpe

Ed Sharpe, born 1951, passed away peacefully, Saturday June 1, 2024, from natural causes while in hospice. He is survived by his wife of thirty years Bette Sharpe, daughter, Julieanne (Brandon) Wermes, Leeanne Sharpe, sister Vickie (Tom) Galliger, sister-in-law Gwen Turner and nephew Dan (Erin) Galliger.

Ed grew up in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. During those early years Ed’s interest in technology (electronics and mechanical things) was noticed by his junior high school principal and was put in charge of the school’s AV equipment. He would pester the telephone man for insulated tape and scrap wire, family and friends for old equipment, parts and journals to learn about engineering and to tinker with things.

Around the same time, he and some friends put together their own pirate radio station, as with transmitter and mixing console. From there, things took off, his career in broadcast engineering, digital technology and television photography expanded over decades.

Ed embraced technology; computers and the new thing called the world wide web. He knew what these new developments could do. Ed started local Internet news and video site the Glendale Daily Planet in 2004, accompanied by KKAT-IPTV, Glendale's own Internet TV station, run by volunteers who maintain the equipment, write direct and produce all programming. Winning a Rocky Mountain Emmy in 2006.

Ed did not like throwing anything away. He was always a historian and always collected stuff. He valued the history of how something was and how it evolved. He was an HP nerd and proud of it.

Ed was the creator and archivist of the Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communication and Computation, SMECC. The museum preserves engineering history and was a source of pride for him. The collection was housed earlier at the Computer Exchange in Phoenix before coming to Glendale.

Ed’s professional memberships included the National Academy of Television and Sciences (NATS), Society of Broadcast Engineers Chapter 9 (SBE), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and other organizations. Ed Sharpe served in the United States Air Force.

Ed’s responsibilities as Archivist at SMECC kept him busy and happy because he could share his love and passion. He loved talking to people about electronics, photography, cameras, physics, computers (Hewlett Packard especially), telephones, radios and the like. He once owned a bookstore but did not like selling “his” technical books, but cookbooks and romance novels were fine. It was an effective way to meet other techie types and to get technical books of all kinds..

In lieu of flowers, please support the Arizona Search Dogs Arizona Search Dogs - Disaster Search, Fire Department, Search Dogs and/or your local newspaper in memory of Ed Sharpe.

Online condolences can be written at www.Chapelofthechimesmortuary.com, Dignity Memorial.