Born Sharon Elaine Thetford in Perry, Oklahoma. Attended schools in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Winfield, Kansas, and graduated from high school in Paris, Texas. Holds a B.A. Degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. First woman sports editor of the Oklahoma Daily, the student newspaper, and later editor. Worked as a newspaper reporter for The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City), The Norman (Oklahoma) Transcript, The Colorado Springs (Colorado) Gazette-Telegraph, The Tulsa World, and The McAlester News-Capital and Democrat. Married to William J. Ervin, Sr., and has four grown children.