A native of Tennessee, Margaret Post Sharpe passed away on November 23, 1998, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. She was a native of Knoxville, Tennessee and active the Girl Scouts of America, having received the Golden Eaglet Award. After graduating from Knoxville High School she graduated from the University of Tennessee and was on the faculty of Berea College in 1941 and 1942. She served in the United States navy during World War II and resided in Corpus Christi from 1945-1969. Margaret served in many organizations such as the Texas Congress of PTAs, was Secretary of Goodwill Industries; a founding member of the Corpus Christi Rose Society, and served as a Headstart Volunteer Coordinator.

Margaret Sharpe’s name is forever linked with old roses in Texas. She freely gave of her talents and time to help spread the word about her favorite plants. In 1969 Margaret and her family moved to Houston where she resided until her death. She was active in many Houston organizations and is remembered for serving as Editor for many years of The Old Texas Rose newsletter. She worked with Pam Puryear and Mike Shoup to found The Texas Rose Rustlers, which caught the imagination of hundreds of Texas gardeners as they scoured the Texas countryside, old graveyards and old farmsteads for previously “lost” old rose varieties and bringing them back.  She helped organize numerous events and presented hundreds of programs on old roses.

Pam Puryear fondly recalls an early rose rustle in Bellville with Margaret, S.J. Derby, Mitzi Van Zant and “Missy”, Pam’s mother. Pam received permission from the Fisher family to dig some roses at the Fisher home since the property was being cleared. No one remembered to bring a shovel, but Pam had a “tire iron” and S.J. Derby volunteered to do the digging. After taking cuttings and digging plants they stopped at a local park to have cucumber sandwiches. When they returned to Pam’s car the starter wouldn’t make a sound. According to Pam, Margaret Sharpe opened the hood, took off her shoe and began hitting the battery with it. The car started immediately and Margaret was the hero of the day!

Margaret’s involvement with the Rose Rustlers sparked many articles in the Houston newspapers and other publications, including the Smithsonian Magazine. Margaret was a Master Rose Judge for the American Rose Society and a member of numerous garden clubs including Far Corners Garden Study Club in Houston. She authored the section on “Rose Crafts” in the book Antique Roses for the South published in 1991. She also printed her own rose publications and booklets.  Fun with Roses was the most widely circulated. She generously contributed to numerous other gardening books, sharing her knowledge of old garden roses.

Margaret was Houston's "grande dame of roses", a lover of horticulture and a University of Houston supporter. The Margaret Sharpe Antique Rose Garden was planted in her honor on the University of Houston campus located along Cullen Boulevard behind the Rebecca and John J. Moores School of Music Building. Each raised bed is surrounded by a low, brick wall with flagstone caps. Wide pathways between the beds allow visitors to walk among and appreciate the roses as Margaret did.