Ian MacDonald Sharpe

Ian MacDonald Sharpe, a resident of Ridgefield, CT, passed away Sunday, February 22, 2004, after a long illness. He was 44 years old. Born and reared in Sacramento, Ian was the son of Marian S. Sharpe and the late Robert H. Sharpe.

Admitted to the State Bar of California in 1986 after earning a J.D. degree at the McGeorge School of Law in 1985, Ian went on to earn an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of California at Davis in 1987. While at the University of California at Berkeley, where he received an A.B. degree in Environmental Geography in 1982, he became, and would remain, a Golden Bears football fan. During his Berkeley days, he was also a member of the Iota chapter of Sigma Pi fraternity and served as chapter president for a year.

Shortly after his studies, Ian joined the tax department of PriceWaterhouse in San Francisco and rose steadily to become Tax Manager before accepting an invitation to work with PWs Washington National Tax Services in Washington DC in 1992. His work had him monitor and analyze legislative and regulatory developments; he shared his views on these subjects both in print (Journal of Bank Taxation) and at the lectern (AICPA National Conference on Banking). A promotion to Senior Tax Manager took him to Connecticut where he managed an outsourced tax department for a regional commercial bank until 1996.

In the Bay Area, Ian met and married Lisa Klepinger. Soon after settling in Herndon, VA, their daughter Jennifer was born. Two years later in Avon, CT, their son Robert was born. Ian delighted in his family. He was especially pleased to share his boyhood love of Tolkien and soccer with his kids. Somehow, he continued to find time for a busy career.

After nine years of work in public accounting, Ian took a position as Senior Tax Manager and Tax Counsel with GE Capital in Stamford, CT. Postings to Mason, OH and Cherry Hill, NJ saw him advance to Tax Director, then Vice President-Taxes before returning to Stamford and GE Equity as Tax Director and Tax Counsel.

In addition to being a member of the State Bar of Californias Section of Taxation, Ian was a member of the American Bar Associations Section of Taxation, the Tax Executives Institute (Connecticut Valley chapter), and the Mortgage Bankers Association of Americas Tax Subcommittee. Ians enthusiasm for the subject of taxation also found an outlet in academia; for brief periods, he taught tax-related courses at both the University of San Francisco and the University of Hartford.

Many families in the Sacramento area will have experienced Ians gift for teaching during their summers at Camp Sacramento in the 1970s. Over many seasons, Ian introduced young and old to the plants and animals of the Sierra Nevada he knew so well. While conducting one of his nature classes in 1979, Ian assisted a badly injured hiker his group had come upon; a resolution of the California State Legislature credits Ian with saving this hikers life. Having attained the rank of Eagle Scout, and been inducted into the Order of the Arrow, just a few years before, Ian was well prepared for such a crisis. Ians Scouting accomplishments in Sacramentos Troop One led to his selection as a representative to the World Jamboree at Lillehammer, Norway in 1975. During this same year, he served as club president in Sacramento Valley chapter of the National Forensic League, in which he held a Degree of Honor. Ian graduated Jesuit High School in Sacramento in 1977.

Ian is survived by Lisa, his wife of 12 years, their two children, Jennifer and Robert, his mother Marian, now of Ridgefield, CT, his brother Marc Hammond, of Somersworth, NH, and many relatives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

A memorial service was held Saturday, February 28 at Saint Stephens Church in Ridgefield. Contributions to Ians memory may be made in his name to Friends of Camp Sacramento, 3801 Power Inn Road, Sacramento, CA 95826, or to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, PO Box 19024, J5-200, Seattle, WA 98109-1024.