by Steve Johnson
Special to The Leaven
OVERLAND PARK — It was only fitting that records would fall and history would be made as Benedictine College honored a historic Raven couple at the 54th annual Scholarship Ball at the Overland Park Convention Center on Feb. 28. As the college feted Charlie (class of ’75) and Sheila Gartenmayer with the Cross of the Order of St. Benedict, the overall fundraising total came in at over $3 million, helping Benedictine College toward its “250 for 250” goal of establishing 250 new scholarships for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States on July 4.
Cade Bond and Anna Bartkoski (both class of 2026), the student Fund-A-Raven auctioneers, spearheaded the largest auction in history. And all told, the records included:
• A record-setting Fund-A-Raven drive that brought in over $1 million.
• Record-setting sponsorships totaling $444,000, shattering the previous all-time high by over $70,000.
• Record-setting total regular donations and sponsorships to the ball, which came to $2.175 million.
• Finally, the largest single scholarship donation in the ball’s history — a gift of $1 million to establish the Charlie and Sheila Gartenmayer Endowed Scholarship, pushing the night’s grand total to $3.2 million.
“We have announced a truly spectacular number!” said Benedictine College president Stephen D. Minnis. “I want to thank everyone in the room for making this night so special for Sheila and Charlie, and for Benedictine College and our students.”
Serving as cochairs for the 54th annual Scholarship Ball were Lené Westerman (class of ’85) and Larry (class of ’72) and Janet Munro (class of ’81; graduate degree, ’02) Wilcox. Larry was the head Raven football coach, coaching for 42 years with Charlie.
The Gartenmayers were honored for their combined 90-plus years of dedicated service to education in Atchison and for their tireless dedication to Benedictine College.
Charlie has served for over 50 years in the athletics department at the college. Having played for the Raven football team, he joined the coaching staff in 1975 and coached for 48 years, rising to defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. He also served as a teacher and administrator in Atchison public schools for 32 years. In 2007, he added the role of athletic director at Benedictine, a post he continues to hold today. He is the only person at any collegiate level to be named both Coach of the Year and Athletic Director of the Year.
An Atchison native, Sheila is a graduate of Mount St. Scholastica Academy, Atchison, and Emporia State University. She taught special education and served as a reading specialist in Atchison public schools for 40 years until her retirement in 2018. At that time, she began her next career as an adviser in the Student Success Center at Benedictine. She and Charlie are active members of St. Benedict Parish in Atchison, and parents of Kelly (class of ’06), Katie (class of ’09) and Bridget. They have two grandsons, Charlie and Jack.
“Charlie and I are very honored to accept the Cross of the Order of St. Benedict,” said Sheila. “Many years ago, my dad used to call Charlie quiet and bashful. Anyone who knows Charlie now, knows he is anything but quiet and bashful.”
Charlie added some personal thoughts as he addressed those in attendance.
“When we look around this room, we are reminded of something very simple,” he said. “No one arrives anywhere alone. Every one of us is the result of someone’s patience, someone’s sacrifice, someone’s belief and someone’s love.”
“We try to live the Gospel message daily. ‘Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another,’” he continued. “Don’t let a day go by without telling someone you love them.”
