John Sharp

John Sharp was born and raised in Toronto, one of two children born to Bertram and Annie Sharp. He was a multi-sport athlete, and in addition to being an active member of the Argonaut Rowing Club, also played football for the Balmy Beach Club in the 1950s. In 1952, he was a member of the Argonaut eights team that represented Canada at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, just falling short of the finals, having been eliminated after losing to Germany in the semi-final repêchage. He later served on the executive of the Argonaut Club in the following years.

Having previously worked as a draftsman in his younger years, Sharp elected to further his education following the Olympics and returned to school, attending Royal York Collegiate and then eventually the University of Toronto, graduating in 1963 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He later owned and operated an engineering consulting firm with offices on Yonge Street in Toronto, John A. Sharp Consulting Engineers, which was eventually involved in various construction projects relating to the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. At the time of his sudden death in 1981, he was survived by his wife and three children.