Honorees for the 54th Annual Scholarship Ball

It would be hard to find someone in Atchison who does not know the Gartenmayer name. Charlie and Sheila are pillars of Atchison and Benedictine education and community.

Coming to Atchison over 50 years ago, Charlie drove, sight unseen, from Philadelphia to this small town on the Missouri River. He was a member of the Benedictine College Ravens football team from 1971 to 1975. Charlie graduated from Benedictine College in 1975 and joined the coaching staff at the college.

Sheila, on the other hand, was born and raised in Atchison, Kansas, the fourth of five children born to Ed and Jeanne Kelly. She has been a member of St. Benedict’s Parish her entire life and has been baptized, had her First Communion, was confirmed and got married at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church. Although she attended Martin East Elementary School for kindergarten, she went on to St. Benedict’s Catholic School for grades 1 through 8 and then Mount St. Scholastica Academy for high school. After graduation, she went to Emporia State University, graduating in 1978 with degrees in Elementary Education and Special Education.

The couple met shortly thereafter when they were both teachers at Washington Grade School. They were married in 1982, and they still live in a house originally built by Sheila’s grandfather. Although Charlie had always intended to return to Philadelphia, graduating from Benedictine College and marrying Sheila led him to lay down Atchison roots. Charlie and Sheila raised three beautiful daughters, Kelly ’06, Katie ’09, and Bridget here in Atchison, and now have two grandsons, Charlie and Jack.

Sheila and Charlie have been active in the community and especially in their church, where Charlie has served as lector. Sheila taught CCD classes for more than 10 years. They both taught marriage prep classes, they are both Eucharistic Ministers and, after years of Shelia going with her mother to take Communion to shut-ins, Charlie and Sheila took on that job full time.

Charlie and Sheila made incredible sacrifices along the way. With a combination of Charlie’s German work ethic and Sheila’s Irish stubbornness they created a synergy for the family that enabled them to work in essential family time.

Charlie coached for 48 years, rising to Defensive Coordinator and eventually Associate Head Coach. He took over as Athletic Director in 2007, after having served in the Atchison Public Schools system as a teacher and administrator for 32 years. He stepped down from his role as Associate Head Coach for the Raven Football program in 2022.

Sheila taught special education at Washington Grade School for 10 years, and then 1^st and 2^nd grades for six years at Martin East Elementary School, where she attended kindergarten. She then transitioned into a position as Reading Specialist, a position she held at Martin East and then the combined Atchison Elementary School until she retired. In 2018, she stepped away from elementary education, retiring after 40 years.

Shortly after retirement, Janet Wilcox, who was the Director of the Student Success Center at Benedictine College at the time, approached her about being an advisor for students who were undecided in their majors. She started work that fall and continues to work for the Student Success Center now in her second career.

In addition to being the wife of a football coach, Sheila has a few other connections to Benedictine. She and her mother, Jeanne Smith Kelly ’46, made the first Rocky Raven mascot outfit, and her mother helped start the first Benedictine College Pep Band in the late 1970s.

Charlie has been highly recognized in both his education and coaching careers. He rose to be principal of the combined Atchison Elementary School and was named the American Football Coaches Association National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2002. He was then named the Heart Conference Athletic Director of the Year in 2019 and Heart South Assistant Coach of the Year in 2020. He is the only person in recorded history at any level of college football to earn recognition as both a Coach of the Year and Athletic Director of the Year. Charlie was also honored with the Kansas Monk Award as an outstanding alumnus during the 2025 Alumni Reunion and entered the Raven Athletics Hall of Fame during the 2025 Homecoming weekend.

Charlie’s impact on the lives of our current players, former players, current coaches and former coaches goes well beyond football. Under his leadership as Athletic Director, the Benedictine Athletic Department has continued to represent the school at the highest levels. Since the start of the 2020-21 academic year, the department has won 17 conference championships and competed in the NAIA postseason 52 times, including Men’s Cross Country, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Lacrosse and Football all going to their respective national championships in 2018-2019, and winning the 2022 and 2025 NAIA Women’s Lacrosse National Championships.

In addition, Raven Athletics has continued to expand in both programs and facilities. Charlie has added men’s wrestling, men’s lacrosse and women’s lacrosse as intercollegiate sports. Turf has been added to O’Malley Field in Wilcox Stadium and both turf and lights have been added to the soccer and lacrosse venue in addition to locker rooms, coaches’ offices, and the press box at the John Casey Soccer Complex. He has also overseen the addition of the Asher Sports Complex which is home to Benedictine Baseball and Softball and includes Olsen Stadium.

The college and the Atchison community have been blessed with Sheila and Charlie’s influence and pursuit of excellence. The Gartenmayers are a humble force that exudes unconditional love with genuine care for others. We are incredibly thankful for their dedication and passion for education, the formation of young people, the Atchison community and Benedictine College for so many years!