Her Story

Irene White Sharpe was born at home on a farm in rural Campbell County, Virginia. At her birth, the farm did not have electricity or running water. She attended a one-room segregated school that also did not have electricity or running water for her first four grades. From this humble beginning, she became an electrical engineer and amassed enough wealth to retire at age 57.

How she did it is an amazing story, based on the reactions of people who hear just pieces of it. She does not see it as amazing in the same way as those who tell her she should write a book. Why she became an engineer is fascinating to many. What it was like being a Black female engineer in the early 1960s is also fascinating to some. How she navigated a work environment predominantly made up of men at that time is a story unto itself.

To keep this brief, I will not go into much detail. I have spoken to a number of audiences about my experiences. I did not have to prepare a speech; I could usually say I am an electrical engineer and then move into a Q&A session. That alone could easily fill the allotted time for my presentation.