Franklyn Sharpless was born on April 29, 1917 to Samuel Franklyn Sharpless and Elizabeth Rhodes Sharpless, who lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

 His family moved to West Chester, Pennsylvania at their homestead 1919 Westtown Road, called “Lenape Farms” by his grandfather whom built it.  The name Lenape came from the Indian Tribe which inhabited the area.

 His ancestor, John Sharpless, arrived in America with William Penn in 1682, who founded the city of Philadelphia. The Sharpless Family was well known in West Chester.  They began and operated the Sharpless Works located on Franklin and Chestnut Streets in West Chester.  The Esco Cabinet Company evolved from the Sharpless Separator Works and was a leading manufacturer of bulk milk coolers, commercial refrigeration and Dairy equipment.

Franklyn attended the William Penn Charter School.

 The William Penn Charter was founded by William Penn in 1689.  It is based on the beliefs of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).  It was originally located in downtown Philadelphia, but was moved to the East Falls/Germantown area in the 1930’s.  It is a K-12, coed school, though it was an all boys school until 1980’s when the Overseers decided to admit girls to all grades. (Allan Brown, Stewart, Archives, William Penn Charter School)

 Franklyn attended the Penn Charter School as a lifer – from 1923 until he graduated in 1935.  He lettered in Football, Track and Fencing.  As Captain of the Fencing Team he won the Philadelphia District Novice Epee Tournament, conducted by the Victorian Amateur Fencing Association. Franklyn, who liked to be called Lynn, was also on the Junior Varsity Tennis team, the Gym Team, the Debate Club, and President of the Science Club.

 Franklyn was also an active member of the Boy Scouts, and achieved their highest rank of Eagle Scout.

 After graduation from the Penn Charter School, Franklyn attended Williams College in Williamstown Massachusetts.  Williams is a very prestigious liberal arts college, ranked in the top five small colleges in the country.

 During his time at Williams, Franklyn continued his active membership in the Boy Scouts.  At 17 years old, he became an active leader in the Rover Scouts in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  The Rover Scouts are for boys 17-18 (16 is the age limit for the Boy Scouts).  The Rover Scout program is conducted in many countries, but was only in the United States from 1937-1953 for boys 17-18.

As a Rover Scout, Franklyn successfully completed the difficult training in Scout Mastership conducted at Gilwell Park, Essex, England.  In 1937, he was awarded the Gilwell Wood Badge, the highest honor within Great Britain’s Imperial Scout Association, and the first American to receive this honor.  The award was presented by Lord Baden-Powell himself - the founder of the Boy Scout Movement.  (The Boy Scouts were founded in England.)

 At Williams College Franklyn was a member of Chi Phi fraternity, the Flying Club, Freshman Lacrosse, and manager of the Fencing Club his junior and senior years. Franklyn graduated from Williams College in 1939.

 After Williams, Franklyn attended the Wharton School of Business from September 1939 to May 1940, leaving to enlist in the Army Air Corps in September 1930.

 First Lieutenant Franklyn Sharpless, Army Air Forces, was killed in an airplane crash over Thomasville, Georgia, July 1, 1942.  He enlisted in September 1940 before war was declared, and trained at Parks Air College, Saint Louis, Missouri, and took basic training at Gunter Field, Alabama, and advanced training at Maxwell Field, Alabama, where he graduated April 25, 1941, with rank of Second Lieutenant.  He served at Langley Field, Virginia, in the Third Observation Squadron, later at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and was then sent to Camp Davis, North Carolina, to help organize the Eighth Observation Squadron.  He was promoted to First Lieutenant in June 1942.  He was killed on July 1, 1942, while ferrying a pursuit plane from Camp Davis, Georgia to Tallahassee, Florida. (Written by William Ozmun Wycoff, Director of Placement at Williams College from 1946 to 1956.)

 

 The family held a private Funeral service for Franklin. They donated the headquarters for the Chester County Boy Scouts, located at 147 North High St. (The building was used until 1966 when they moved to their current location at 504 S. Concord Rd., just outside of town.