Harry Sharp came to Vicksburg in 1985 and immediately made his mark, buying a crumbling antebellum home used as headquarters for the Salvation Army and transforming it into a showplace bed and breakfast inn and tour home. That was only the beginning.

In 2009, when Green Acres Memorial Park was financially crumbling and the owners of burial plots found they might not have the security in death they had paid for in life, Sharp was picked by the Secretary of State’s Office to take the reins, restore whatever integrity possible and handle the daily operations of the 43-acre private burial ground off U.S. 80.

Now, after doing exactly as charged, Sharp has bid the most of three to buy the property and see that the final resting places are ready and that those individuals who have spent their money on security will indeed be secure.

His bid has the stamp of approval from Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, who reports that he is continuing attempts to recover the $373,000 gone from the cemetery’s pre-need account, and it is awaiting action by Chancellor Vicki Roach Barnes, who will have the final say on how ownership is settled.

Surely, the chancellor will consider: the funds nearly aborted during the previous ownership have seen remarkable growth to more than half the previous balance; Sharp took the “diamond in the rough” of The Duff Green Mansion and polished it into a shining example of Vicksburg historic show homes; Sharp and his family have years of experience in cemetery operations in Florida; and time and again Sharp has shown he is willing to put his checkbook and personal efforts into the betterment of the city, through buying and renovating buildings and through volunteerism on public boards and projects.

Harry Sharp is the man for the Green Acres job. There’s no doubt.