Shel Edelman Hall of Fame Inductees
Shel Edelman
Shel or Dr. Sheldon Edelman to be precise, had long been interested in theater but got the acting bug for good when he starred as Tevye in a Junction City production of Fiddler on the Roof. He went on to act in over 40 plays at the Manhattan Arts Center and Wamego’s Columbian Theater. He also directed seven (7). Notable roles besides Tevye include Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Sir Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons, Grandpa in Broadway Bound, Kris Kringle in Here’s Love, Clarence the Angel in It’s a Wonderful Life, and John Brown in A Kansas Character. Shel was famous for never properly learning his lines, but he was an adept improviser who could rescue a scene from any number of disasters.
A playwright, Shel’s work has been produced at the Manhattan Arts Center and in a prize-winning turn at a talent show at Meadowlark, where he resided during the latter part of his life. Writing came naturally to him since it was always more important that things be funny than true. He served on the MAC board from 2012 until his death in 2016.
Shel was a clinical psychologist who came to Manhattan in 1967 as faculty at Kansas State University. A much-loved teacher and counselor, Shel promoted innovations in learning, supported the development of the University for Mankind (UFM) Intersession classes, and championed civil rights. Dr. Edelman left the university to become clinical director of the Fort. Riley Alcohol & Drug program, a position he held until 1980 when he and Charlotte established their private practice, Edelman Associates. He continued practicing and later at the Konza Prairie Community Health Clinic until his death.
He was a frequent expert witness in area court cases, particularly regarding the protection of children. Shel had a special affinity for kids, who tended to adore him; in addition to his professional clients, many of his roles – like Tevye, Horace Pennypacker and Kris Kringle – involved casts of children. He was a devoted father to his three daughters, and a besotted grandfather – representing the four grandchildren, Amara inherited the acting bug, and is here tonight, representing sister Sarah and cousins Sam and Max.
Shel’s youngest daughter Deborah and husband Leif are here from Topeka, middle daughter Leah and wife Sharon are here from Oregon, and oldest daughter Miriam who now sits on the MAC board, taking her parents’ legacy forward.
Shel was a confirmed romantic and his greatest love was always Charlotte. They met when both were students at Roosevelt University in Chicago and they married in 1954. Char was initially a primary school teacher and never got over the desire to decorate for every holiday. She became a gerontologist and worked as a counselor with Shel in their private practice. For some time, if you were convicted of driving under the influence or shoplifting in Riley County, you were likely to see Charlotte, who had an astonishing good record at helping those to not re-offend. Miriam tells me she thinks her clients were just terrified of her using the D word: Disappointed!
She was apparently a force of nature, and her influence at the Manhattan Jewish Congregation is legendary. She was a founder of the Crisis Center and active in the community, particularly advocating for women. Although generally content to let Shel hog the limelight, she hosted a local TV program called the Women’s Hour. She stayed behind-the-scenes at the MAC, helping manage the box office or just managing Shel. Charlotte was a collector and strong supporter of visual art, and indeed all of the arts. Shel endowed a small art gallery in her honor, and the family looks forward to seeing it reborn at some point in the future of MAC.
Steve and Jan Galitzer
Steve and Jan’s legacy at the Manhattan Arts Center is truly woven into the very fabric of the MAC. Over the years, they have each served on the MAC board, always stepping up when called upon and guiding the organization with care. They were hands-on in every possible way, they gave time, talent, and resources to the MAC. Before the MAC had a building to call home, Steve and Jan were already part of the theater family, navigating performances in borrowed spaces, and they believed wholeheartedly in the dream first championed by Jim Hamilton: that our community deserved a vibrant, permanent home for the arts.
When Jim found a possible home for the theater, it was little more than four walls—no bathrooms —and in disrepair. But Jim had a vision and knew just who to gather to make that dream a reality. Jan, with her boundless creativity and ability to make dreams a reality, helped breathe life into that vision. She assisted by organizing the first “Art Happens” celebration in 1993. She and a team transformed an empty grocery store shell into a festival pulsing with art and welcomed the community through its doors –remember, the community was coming to their new home without bathrooms. Jan ordered 9 porta-potties; this is a detail that is easy to forget but made a huge difference. Jan’s dedication didn’t stop there - she served on the board, designed beautiful show programs, volunteered in the office, and supported countless productions. For 13 years running, she hosted the MAC’s themed New Year’s Eve parties—events that became cherished traditions, filled with laughter, creativity, and the joy of gathering.
Steve helped build the MAC—literally—putting in countless nights and weekends alongside contractors, building walls, digging trenches, and painting everything from the walls to the floor. Throughout the years, he spent time patiently teaching generations of volunteers how to bring a set to life, and he would teach children how to use real tools safely. His talent and dedication shaped so many productions, built and designed sets that transformed the stage, and transported thousands of audience members to the locations of the numerous sets. But Steve’s impact didn’t stop there. Steve had a vision that the MAC should have a bar. At the bar, he was a friendly face and a creative force, crafting signature drinks for each production that brought people together and made every show a little more special—we continue this tradition. In the early years—before there was even a sink or dishwasher—Steve and Jan would quietly carry the glassware home after performances, washing and returning it with care, ensuring that every detail was just right for the next gathering. Together, Steve and Jan poured thousands of hours, dollars, and even more heart into the MAC. To Jan and Steve, the Center was much more than a building. It was a second home where friendships formed, their children grew up, creativity thrived, and everyone felt welcome. Their dedication has kept the MAC at the heart of our community, making it a second home for many others.
Without Jan and Steve, the MAC simply would not be what it is today—if it existed at all.
Jim and Connie Hamilton
When Jim first stepped into directing in the 1970s, he brought with him not only a love of performance but a philosopher’s mind and deep belief that theater is its own art form. Not merely literature staged, but a living, breathing act of collective imagination. He believed young artists deserved to encounter the full range of theatrical possibilities, not just traditional productions. Work that challenged form, fractured narrative, and asked bold questions.
In 1989, that belief became the Manhattan Experimental Theater Workshop and lasted for over 25 years. The Workshop was never simply a summer program for high school students; it was a laboratory of ideas.
Students began their workshop not with blocking and memorization, but with reading and discussion — exploring non-traditional playwrights like Pinter, Brecht, and Dario Fo, examining structure, time, movement, and meaning. They learned that theater could be abstract, physical, intellectual, and daring.
Then they created. They wrote original scripts. They built their own sets. They climbed platforms and re-imagined familiar stories through avant-garde lenses.
And in just three short weeks, they performed fully realized, original works — off-book (no script), fully embodied, and astonishingly mature.
The deepest transformation happened not in the scripts, but in the students themselves. Quiet voices grew steady and strong. Shy young people stood taller under stage lights. Students who doubted themselves discovered discipline, collaboration, and courage.
Jim insisted that theater is a collective — one must always think - and think with others. Respect was foundational, and non-negotiable. An ensemble was essential. In this safe space, the young people learned not only how to perform, but how to belong.
The impact reached beyond Manhattan. The Manhattan Experimental Theater Workshop appeared at festivals and gatherings, earning recognition for their ensemble work. Seasoned professionals were stunned to learn that the words spoken onstage had been written entirely by high school students. Many have said plainly: “Without Jim, the Arts Center might not exist today.”
Margalith Clarenburg
Margalith was a special woman. The following is from an interview from the Topeka Capital Journal. She was born in Den Haag, the Netherlands and had been a longtime Manhattan resident. When she was 17, the Nazi war machine rolled over her Dutch homeland and suddenly she was no longer a budding medical doctor but a Jew, considered less than human. Until the Allied liberation in late 1944, she not only evaded capture by the German occupations and their collaborators but took an active role in the Dutch resistance.
She helped funnel money to Jewish underground fighters against the British mandate in Palestine, even helped them escort potential pilots for the still dreamed of Israeli Air Force out of Europe and into the Middle East. That earned her a special recognition from David Ben-Guiron, considered the father of the Jewish state.
Margalith married Dr. Rudolf Clarenburg in 1959 and emigrated to the United States and came to Kansas in 1966, where Clarenburg was a professor on the faculty of Kansas State University School of Veterinary Medicine. A social activist with a keen appreciation of the beauties of living which drove her to share that appreciation with others throughout her life. She was one of the founders of the Manhattan Arts Center and helped to establish programs that would bring art to area school children.
Frank and Laurel Lewis Cronin
Frank and Laurel Cronin are mentioned in the Manhattan Arts Center’s historical archives, as helping to rejuvenate interest in civic theatre in Manhattan. Frank had been professionally associated with community theater in Chicago and in summer stock in Illinois. He was an assistant director at the Drury Lane Theater in Chicago for Good Housekeeping with Myrna Loy. He had been associated with many theatrical and film stars in Chicago. He also was experienced in the technical and production phases of theater. Before he was stationed at Fort Riley, he stage managed for the Carnegie Recital Hall in New York.
In May 1965, Frank directed the comedy Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward. The review stated Frank “expertly directed and staged the production which was in the round at the Community Center. (He) must be saluted for his discovery of outstanding local acting talent for this production”. The outstanding local talents included Rix Shanline, Dwight Nesmith and Beverly Faw, all honorees tonight.
The review went on to say, “the acting triumphs of the evening must be shared with Laurel Lewis (Frank’s wife), who received three ovations during the performance.” She had a “winning briskness about her; her timing and business were displayed with beautiful exactness.” Laurel was a graduate from the Pasadena Playhouse in California. She had been professionally associated with the Drury Lane Theater where she had the opportunity to work with Pat O’Brien, Linda Darnell and Forrest Tucker. She directed many children’s plays for the Morton Grove Civic Theater in Illinois and had been associated with several experimental professional theaters in California.
Beverly Faw
Beverly was a crucial member of the Manhattan Civic Theatre with her first play in 1965 until her last in 1997. Her talents and vision helped to create an organization that has produced quality shows for almost 40 years. Beverly directed more than a dozen plays: Night Must Fall, The Best Man, Bus Stop, Harvey, On Borrowed Time, Picnic, Ten Little Indians, Anastasia, and Arsenic and Old Lace. She always insisted that her plays be suitable for the entire family.
Rehearsals often were held in her living room, and the plays were produced wherever the Manhattan Civic Theater could beg space – the Community House, Lee and Eugene Field elementary schools, The Elks Lodge and the basement of the City Building. In the late 1960s, Beverly directed three shows in one season. In appreciation, her peers named her a Lifetime member of the Manhattan Civic Theater and presented her with an Outstanding Service Award.
When she wasn’t sitting in the director’s chair, Beverly often was on stage. She was seen in 10 shows: Blithe Spirit, The Constant Wife, Kind Lady, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker, The Madwoman of Chaillot, The Heiress, You Can’t Take It with You, and the Unexpected Guest.
Beverly gave much to the Manhattan Civic Theater and in large part set the standard we still strive for today. In appreciation, the Beverly Faw Library, which houses theater resource books, scripts and historical material, is dedicated in her memory.
Doris and Gene Grosh
Over many years, Gene and Doris Grosh gave far more than financial support to the Manhattan Arts Center — they invested their time, leadership, and deep belief in the power of the arts to strengthen a community.
In the late 1990s, Gene and Doris offered a transformative $100,000 challenge grant to the Arts Center. The board rose to the occasion, raising all but $10,000 of the goal. After Gene’s passing, Doris chose to fulfill the original commitment herself, contributing the remaining amount they had intended to give together. Their generosity and vision made it possible for the Manhattan Arts Center to establish its first endowment — a lasting gift that continues to support the organization’s future.
Gene served on the faculty at Kansas State University from 1965 to 1990 and was a steadfast advocate for the arts throughout his career. Doris met and married Gene while they were both students at Purdue University. In 1965, they moved to Manhattan so she could complete her Ph.D. in statistics. After earning her degree, Doris joined the Industrial Engineering Department at Kansas State University, becoming the first woman faculty member in the College of Engineering.
Following her retirement, Doris became even more deeply involved in the community. She served for many years on the board of the Manhattan Arts Center, helping guide and strengthen the vision of creating a permanent home for the arts in Manhattan. Her leadership, generosity, and steady commitment helped shape the foundation upon which the Arts Center continues to grow.
Edith and Carl Hinrichs
“One of the best things about theater is working together.”
For Edith and Carl Hinrichs, theater is more than an occupation, it was a family affair. Both Edith and Carl began their journeys in the vibrant theatrical and cultural world of New York City.
Edith was born in the Bronx and attended the High School of Performing Arts, where she specialized in dance. She later studied on scholarship at the Martha Graham School of Dance, going on to become a professional dancer.
In 1954, while performing in the summer stock production The Lost Colony in Manteo, North Carolina, Edith met Carl. At the time, Carl was studying architecture at North Carolina State University and working as a radio announcer. Encouraged by someone at the station to audition for the outdoor drama, he stepped onto the stage for the first time — what family members recall as his very first acting experience.
That summer proved transformative. Carl and Edith married soon after the production concluded, and Carl’s interest in theatre deepened. He shifted his academic focus from architecture to theatre, eventually earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the field. His rare combination of architectural training, theatrical expertise, technical direction, and scenic design made him an ideal fit for the growing theatre department at Kansas State University.
They moved to Manhattan in 1964 where Carl was hired as a technical director and Edith taught dance for actors. Edith was a fixture for many years in the Manhattan theater and dance community. She graced the stages of the Manhattan Civic Theater and Kansas State University, using her talent for acting, directing and choreography. She received her master’s degree in Acting and Directing from Kansas State University in 1975.
Edith and Carl were instrumental in the development of the Manhattan Civic Theater lending their talents and skills to the development of a budding and sometimes struggling Manhattan Civic Theater. Edith was the spokesperson and advocate for the theater as it struggled to find a permanent location in the 1990s.
Edith and Carl were also Charter members of the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship of Manhattan. Many of the Fellowship’s members brought their creative talents and interests to civic theatre as musicians, directors and actors. The UUs as they were affectionately called, were always closely connected to all of the arts in Manhattan.
Jeune and Phillip Kirmser
Jeune’s father was a self-taught musician and artist, and her mother was a graduate in mathematics. It was these open-minded, imaginative people who encouraged Jeune to grow into a remarkable woman. Jeune graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in English education. She later got her Master’s in School Social Work. She married Philip in June 1942 and shortly thereafter moved to Manhattan where Phillip taught at K-State and Jeune received another Master’s in English. Jeune practiced social work and taught English in Washington D.C. while Phil was away in the Navy. In 1951, she spent a year in Amsterdam writing scripts for Dutch Radio about what it was like being an American in Holland. Phil was then hired back to K-State in 1954, and they remained in Manhattan for the rest of their lives.
Besides having a Ph.D. in Mathematics and teaching Applied Mechanics at the College of Engineering, Phillip was an accomplished classical musician, playing piano, flute and oboe. He played flute for many years with the Kansas State University Orchestra and while in his 80s, actively participated in a local flute ensemble.
Jeune and Phillip were also Charter members of the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship of Manhattan.
Joan McNeil
Joan showed an early talent for writing. At age 17, she had her story, “His Armor All Shining” published in Seventeen Magazine, which won her a place as a columnist for her local paper. When Joan left for college in 1947, she majored in Technical Journalism at Kansas State University and helped edit the Royal Purple yearbook and the Collegian campus newspaper. When in college, she wrote songs, as well as created and directed many musical and comedy skits for her sorority.
After working in New York as an editorial assistant for a publishing company, teaching creative writing and earning her master’s in educational psychology, she wrote numerous articles and textbooks on adolescence, family and life cycles for classroom instruction.
Joan was a supporter of the arts - theater, music, and the culture - the heartbeat and soul of Manhattan. She wrote, directed and performed in popular church musical dinner theater skits to benefit her church’s outreach and growth. Joan was active in the Manhattan Civic Theatre and the Manhattan Arts Center. She sat on the Board, chaired committees, helped write and direct plays, organize fundraisers and many other activities. She even donated an entire set of more comfortable theatre chairs for the whole audience area of the Manhattan Arts Center.
Larry and Delia Marcellus
Larry spent his early years traveling on the Santa Fe Railroad with his family. He graduated from Lawrence High School and entered the Navy, near the end of WW II and attended the University of Kansas on the GI Bill. Delia (Dee) was a native Kansan, graduating from Lawrence High School and the University of Kansas with a degree in Zoology. They married in 1949 at the Danforth Chapel on the Kansas State University campus.
Both had a professional career in the newspaper and printing industry. Over his lifetime Larry was a printer, newspaper editor and later a graphic arts instructor at the Manhattan Area Technical College. Dee and Larry purchased several weekly newspapers in northern Riley County and combined them into The Riley Countian. Dee wrote a weekly column, edited and published the paper. She later worked for The Manhattan Mercury for over 20 years.
Larry and Dee were community minded. Larry founded the Hustlers 4-H club in Leonardville, was a volunteer fireman in McPherson and was involved in stage work for over 40 years with the Manhattan Civic Theatre. He was Dr. Eistein in Arsenic and Old Lace and appeared in Thurber Carnival. As the owner of Art Crafts Printers, he helped produce the performance programs for the Arts Center and he also directed and produced theater performances. Dee was an active Manhattan Civic Theater booster and helped with props and publicity.
Dwight and Doris Nesmith
Dwight and Doris Nesmith met in Chicago, Illinois where they were both raised. After World War II, in which Dwight piloted B24 in the Pacific theater, he earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University. In 1948 he was hired as Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering by Kansas State University. Dwight and Doris raised 5 children. Their primary residence was a home Dwight built on Bluemont Hill.
Dwight’s first introduction in Manhattan to the theater was a part in a “hillbilly melodrama” performed at the Northview Elementary School. This was the beginning of Dwight and Doris’s involvement in and commitment to community theater.
Both Dwight and Doris were involved in the resurrection of the Manhattan Civic Theater in the mid-1960’s. Dwight’s first time on stage for the community theater was in Mr. Roberts which was performed at the Community House. From that point Dwight directed and performed in productions for over twenty years. Dwight also performed for the community theater in Junction City. Doris was a constant presence behind the scenes whether gathering props or rehearsing lines with Dwight. Doris co-directed two plays in the early days of the theater with Beverly Faw. She also served as an early historian for the theater. Manhattan Civic Theater became a family affair with three of the children, Bill, Lorraine and Tom, spending time helping behind the scenes and, once each, on stage.
Both Dwight and Doris received various recognition for their contributions to Manhattan Civic Theater. Dwight was given the Honorary Member Award and the Art Hearts award. The 2010 production of The Dining Room was dedicated to his memory.
From Dwight and Doris’s family, Ingrid Baker, William Nesmith, Lorrain Sandstrom, Barbara Nesmith and Thomas Nesmith: Dwight and Doris’s contributions to the growth of live theater in Manhattan gave as much to us as they gave to the community. They would have been honored to receive this recognition, with gratitude their family thanks you.
Dorothy and James Rosenberg
(The following is remembered by Earle Davis, an English Professor at K-State and early participant of civic theater)
Back in the autumn of 1954, a combination of town and gown actors created the first civic theater. The creative spirits who founded and carried on the early plays were Jim and Dorothy (Dody) Rosenberg. Jim had come to the English Department at Kansas State University from Denver University and brought with him the enthusiasm of a born star as well as the dedication of a poet, scholar and teacher. He had come from California but had acted in New England summer stock companies professionally and he had me and married Dody there. The two were competent professional stage people. One recalls that faculty were not permitted nor encouraged to act in university or college plays. If Jim and Dody were to perform on stage, they could not do so on campus, and the Civic Theater offered an opportunity, as it did for several other interested and talented people from both campus and city.
The community had a longstanding play-reading club, stimulated and directed by Mrs. Hal (Jessie) Davis. Her husband Hal had come to Kansas State back in 1912 and since the 20s had been English department chair. Many of the play-reading club members helped develop the Civic Theater and when the first play, Harvey, was put on in January 1955, Jessie was in the cast along with the Rosenbergs. In the spring of 1955, two more plays were performed, a spoof of Arsenic and Old Lace and Angel Street. Frank Anneberg and the City Recreation Commission did all they could to encourage these first plays.
Vesta Sargent
Vesta was born in Manhattan, Kansas and grew up in the Riley County area. After graduating from Riley County High School, she worked for Walmart for many years. She traveled with Walmart and helped to open many new stores in the Midwest.
Vesta loved the arts and worked behind the scenes on many theatre productions at the Purple Masque and Manhattan Arts Center. She volunteered her time at the Manhattan Arts Center and eventually became a staff member. Because of her love of the arts, she would contribute her talents beyond her employment and filled in wherever she was needed during stage productions. As many who knew her at the Arts Center and when she was the stage manager they knew she was not to be trifled with. Efficient, organized and as a remember her…always working with a smile. Her love of theater was shown in every aspect of her work and life at the Manhattan Arts Center.
Rix and Phyliss Shanline
Rix and Phyllis Shanline moved to Manhattan, Kansas with their young family in 1956. Rix was a professional psychiatric social worker and had been hired as the founding director of the newly formed Riley County Mental Health Center. Phyllis was a trained singer whose impressive musical talent had earned her many accolades. Both were eager to settle in and become involved in their new community.
Rix had joined the local group of Toastmasters International, and in 1964, a small group of fellow Toastmasters decided to produce the play Mister Roberts, offering the title role to Rix and igniting in him a lifelong interest and avocation in theatre. It turns out there was quite bit of interest in theatre within the surrounding community. This small group of enthusiasts, including Rix and Phyllis teamed up to produce more plays, encouraging others to join and share their various skills and talents, developing close lifelong friendships and leading to the eventual development of the Manhattan Civic Theatre.
Rix and Phyllis were both regular fixtures and proud supporters - both onstage and behind the scenes - throughout the growth of the organization, from its early days through its evolution into the Manhattan Arts Center. They shared a love of the arts with each other and their community and were proud of its growth and development.
LeJuan Shrimplin
LeJuan graduated from Central State University of Oklahoma and moved to Deerfield, Kansas to begin her teaching and career in business. There she met Thomas E. Shrimplin and married him in 1956. Their family moved to Alta Vista, Kansas, then to Hope, Kansas and later Manhattan where the couple settled. After moving to Manhattan, she shifted teaching to the Kansas State University Business department for Fort Riley students.
She worked with Waddell and Reed and owned and ran H & R Block. Upon retirement, she became a full-time volunteer for various groups in Manhattan, splitting most of her time between the Riley County Genealogical Society and the Manhattan Arts Center. She had a meticulous attention to detail, an understanding of historical records, and kept valued records, citing, organizing and accurately documenting them for those interested in family or organizational history. She became the first historian of Manhattan Civic Theater. She valued the history of community theater and its creation. Preserving its history was so important to her, she obtained a contract with the Riley County Historical Museum to maintain the Manhattan Civic Theater’s historical documents.
Paul and Joan Shull
Joan was born in Jamestown, North Dakota and grew up in Boulder, Colorado where she earned a degree in Business from the University of Colorado. There she met her husband, Paul. Joan was a gifted musician and educator and served as the organist at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, before building the handbell program at First United Methodist. She directed bells for decades, serving as Area Chair and National Historian for the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers. She and Paul actively supported the Manhattan Civic Theater while raising their children. Their commitment to Manhattan Civic Theater was recognized when the Manhattan Arts Center created a volunteer award named after them.
Pat Weisenberg
Pat was born in Sandwich, IL and attended Sandwich schools and the community high school in 1952. She met her husband Ray in Sandwich and they married in 1956. Pat earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts Degree in Speech and Drama from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. For the next few years, Pat and ray relocated several times before Ray accepted a “short term” position as Professor of Architecture at Kansas State University in 1964.
Pat’s first love was always theater and shortly after she arrived in Manhattan she found the Manhattan Civic Theater. She directed her first play in 1966, She acted and was involved in many other plays for the next 40 plus years, directing her 17th and final play in 2009. Pat’s memorial service was held at the Manhattan Arts Center and memorial donations were made to the Arts Center.
18 Inductees - 2026
Shel Edelman
Steve and Jan Galitzer
Jim and Connie Hamilton
Margalith Clarenburg
Frand and Laurel Lewis Cronin
Beverly Faw
Doris and Gene Grosh
Edith and Carl Hinrichs
Jeune and Phillip Kirmser
Joan McNeil
Larry and Delia Marcellus
Dwight and Doris Nesmith
Dorothy and James Rosenberg
Vesta Sargent
Rix and Phyllis Shanline
LeJuan Shrimplin
Paun and Joan Shull
Pat Weisenberg
