Converse University Mourns Loss of Captain Charles Gnerlich
Written by Amanda Mathis
You never know what can happen at a holiday party, and for the late Captain Charles Gnerlich, it was him joining the Converse family. A leader of unwavering dedication to service and country, Captain Gnerlich was also a loving husband to his wife, Julie, and a doting father with four children, including alumna Colee Wingo ’95.
A native of Closter, NJ, Captain Gnerlich was active in his community and attended the JB Speed College of Engineering at the University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, on a full NROTC scholarship where, in June 1966, he was commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy.
Captain Gnerlich’s Navy career took him around the country and the world, including service in Rhode Island, California, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, Florida, New York, and Charleston, as well as overseas in Vietnam, Norway, the Arctic Circle, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, China, Guam, the Mediterranean Sea, the Caribbean Sea, and the Persian Gulf. He served on the USS Kaskaskia (AO-27), USS Perry (DD 844), joining that ship in the Pacific supporting American efforts in Vietnam, USS Lawrence (DDG 4), USS Cleveland (LPD 7), and USS Coontz (DDG 40), and he held positions at the Pentagon and NATO.
Soon after reporting to Charleston, Gnerlich assumed the duties of Commander of Destroyer Squadron Six and the Commander of the Readiness Support Group in Charleston, discharging the responsibilities formerly held by three Navy Captains. Following his service on the team planning for the closing of the Charleston Navy Base, Gnerlich relinquished command and retired from active duty in Charleston in 1994
“He was tapped to serve as the interim director of the initial women’s leadership program, the South Carolina Institute of Leadership (SCIL) for Women at Converse.”
Captain Gnerlich met past Converse president Sandra C. Thomas at a holiday donor party while transitioning to retirement from his military career. He was then tapped to serve as the interim director of the initial women’s leadership program, the South Carolina Institute of Leadership (SCIL) for Women at Converse. The program was a parallel program for women desiring to be admitted to The Citadel’s Corps of Cadets in the early 1990s. The college entered into an agreement with the state of South Carolina in 1995 to provide SCIL, though the program created concern amongst some of the students and faculty at the time. Converse discontinued the program after The Citadel began accepting women in 1996.
“Everyone trusted Charles; he was first-class in every way,” said Dr. Dunn, Charles A. Dana Professor of History and Politics and chair of History and Politics at Converse. “He was respectful of everyone, had strong leadership skills, and respected the institution.”
For all of Captain Gnerlich’s endeavors and successes, the one constant was the care he showed people and his profound impact on them. After his one-year term at Converse University, Gnerlich’s influence extended to Spartanburg, where he served as a member and facilitator for a working group of the “Share the Vision” project. He was also a member of the Executive Board of the Palmetto Council, Boy Scouts of America, Spartanburg Public Safety Department’s Public Safety Committee, and the Chamber of Commerce.
“Charles was one of the finest people who worked at Converse,” said Dunn. “With a legacy of innovation and commitment to leadership – he will be greatly missed.”
Read Captain Gnerlich’s obituary at www.floydmortuary.com/obituaries/charles-gnerlich