ORDER
The Court orders the foregoing Memorial Resolution spread of record upon the permanent records of this Court, and the Clerk of this Court is ordered to deliver a copy of said Memorial Resolution to West Publishing Company, which is ordered to print and publish the same in the North Eastern Reporter.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Clerk of this Court transmit a copy of said Memorial Resolution, under seal of this Court, to Helen Sharpnack, Rosanne Sharpnack, and Christopher Sharpnack.
So ORDERED in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 8, 2024.
IN MEMORIAM
HONORABLE JOHN T. SHARPNACK
The following resolution was adopted as a memorial to the late John T. Sharpnack.
WHEREAS, John T. Sharpnack, a resident of Columbus, Indiana, was a Judge of the Court of Appeals of Indiana; and
WHEREAS, it is with deep regret that we note the passing of Judge Sharpnack at age 90 on March 25, 2024; and
WHEREAS, Judge Sharpnack was appointed to the Court of Appeals in 1991 by Governor Evan Bayh and was retained by election in 1994 and 2004. His colleagues elected him to three terms as Chief Judge, a capacity he served in for nine years and three months, the longest term of any Chief Judge in the Courts history. He retired on May 2, 2008 after 17 years of service, and began his service as Senior Judge on May 3, 2008, serving in that capacity until December 31, 2021, for a total of 30 years of service on the Court of Appeals; and
WHEREAS, Judge Sharpnack was born in Columbus on May 7, 1933. He attended Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati. He entered the University of Cincinnati in 1951 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1955. He then volunteered for the draft and served in the U.S. Army for two years, returning to the University of Cincinnati to earn his law degree and serve as Editor-in-Chief of the Cincinnati Law Review; and
WHEREAS, Judge Sharpnack joined the Honor Graduate Program at the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. as an attorney in 1960. In 1963, he returned to Columbus and joined the family firm of Sharpnack and Bigley, engaging in 27 years of private practice; and
WHEREAS, Judge Sharpnack was active in legal associations and community groups throughout his career. He was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1983, served as Chairman of both the Trial Section and the House of Delegates of the Indiana State Bar Association, and was a member of the State Bars Ethics Committee for five years. For six years, he was a member of the Indiana Supreme Court Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, and from 1987 to 1988 he was President of the Indiana Defense Lawyers Association; and
WHEREAS, Judge Sharpnack served his community on local boards including the Foundation for Youth, the United Way, and the Harrison Township Volunteer Fire Department; and
WHEREAS, Judge Sharpnack is survived by his wife of 63 years, Helen Sharpnack, his son Christopher Sharpnack, his daughter Rosanne Sharpnack, and his grandson A. Trent Sparks; and
WHEREAS, Judge Sharpnacks passing is a loss to his community, our state, his family and friends, and this Court.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that this Memorial Resolution for the Honorable John T. Sharpnack be adopted by the Court of Appeals of Indiana and spread of record on the Order Book of this Court.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the members of this Court extend their sympathy to the family and friends of this able lawyer and jurist and that a copy of this Memorial Resolution, under seal of this Court, be sent to his wife, Helen Sharpnack, and his children, Rosanne Sharpnack and Christopher Sharpnack.
Robert R. Altice, Jr. Chief Judge