For more than three decades, Head Equipment Manager Kelly Jones has been synonymous with athletics at Gettysburg College. She has been a driving force behind the scenes in her role, but her impact extends well beyond her professional responsibilities. Jones has cheered, laughed, and cried along with student-athletes, coaches and staff for 35 years, watching from the sidelines as teams celebrated championship victories or suffered through the sorrows of devastating defeats.
 
She will undoubtedly still be a part of similar moments in the future, but not as the equipment manager at Gettysburg. Jones has announced her retirement from the Department of Athletics and will embrace the next few final months of work alongside those she cares about most.
 
"I'm very proud of the career that I've made here at Gettysburg College," said Jones. "I just think Gettysburg is a great place to work. We've been blessed with great administration, a supportive administration. When I talk to recruits, I say I'm not biased because I work here, but you'll have a great experience if you come here. And that's because of the people. I've been truly blessed to be part of the Orange and Blue."
 
Jones arrived on campus in the spring of 1987 and is the second-longest tenured staff member behind baseball coach John Campo, who arrived on campus less than two years earlier. She has watched the Bullets win 114 Centennial Conference championships and three NCAA Division III titles, all while providing unparalleled levels of support from the equipment room.
 
"Kelly Jones has literally played a part in every student-athlete's experience at Gettysburg College for the last 35 years," noted Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Mattia. "Her impact to our student-athletes goes beyond running an efficient and organized equipment room, making sure everything is in place to conduct each competition, and greeting the officials, referees, and umpires with a warm smile. She cares deeply about our student-athletes, and puts every ounce of energy she has into her work to help ensure they have a great experience at Gettysburg."
 
From her very first day, Jones' commitment to Gettysburg was more than just about the work. She joined the staff in the spring of 1987 following the loss of Vicki Keefer, former staff member and daughter of long-time equipment manager Dick Keefer, in a tragic car accident. Jones, a close family friend, dropped her job working for a book manufacturer to work alongside Keefer. In short order, Jones brought along new ideas and strategies for dealing with an ever-growing athletic department.
 
"Working with Dick Keefer was phenomenal," recalled Jones. "He let me grow. When Chuck [Winters] became AD, he pushed me and I thank him for that growth. He gave me that responsibility and the ability to make this position into what it has become."
 
"I challenged her to update, organize, and supervise all phases of the athletic equipment management program," said Winters, who was Gettysburg's Director of Athletics from 1989 to 2002. "Kelly was one of very few female equipment managers in Division III in the early nineties. I challenged her to get involved in the Athletic Equipment Managers Association and boy, did she get involved, rising to the position of officer in the organization."
 
Jones ushered in a new era of performance for Gettysburg in the 1990s. The Bullets started competing in the Centennial Conference in the fall of 1993 and quickly assumed a position atop the standings across many sports. The teams had the gear to support those championship endeavors as Jones worked tirelessly to find the most durable, safest, and cost-efficient equipment in the market place.
 
"Kelly's organization was what really upgraded that whole part of the athletic program," said former football coach Barry Streeter. "Not only the organization, but also her ability to keep everything updated and ensure we were getting the top equipment we could get. She started fitting our guys with helmets and that became critically important because of the possibility of head injuries. She kept players accountable with keeping their chin straps up and taking care of their helmets and equipment overall."
 
While equipment purchasing and maintenance and game management are at the heart of her daily responsibilities, it's what Jones does outside of those areas that truly sets her apart from her peers. She has an innate ability to connect with the student-athletes she works with and the student workers she supervises. It goes beyond the simplicity of an educator or supervisor type of relationship. Jones truly cares about the young men and women that she works with, and she helps them develop into professionals as they go about their collegiate tenures.
 
"My mantra has always been I will work with the coaches, but I work for the students," said Jones. "That's what drives me. Just working with the students drives me to be the best person I can be. In return I've become a better person because of those relationships. Everything I do is for the students."
 
Most student-athletes meet Jones within a week of arriving on campus. She makes it a point to meet with every single athletic team and let each student-athlete know the expectations she has for them when it relates to equipment room. Moreover, she immediately establishes herself as their biggest cheerleader, and a trusted ear in times of need.
 
"Kelly was one of the first people I met upon arriving at Gettysburg and she welcomed me warmly to the Gettysburg family," recalled Catherine Schott Murray '00, who was an All-American on the volleyball court. "She has always been willing to spend the extra time to really get to know the student-athletes and is the biggest cheerleader for all student-athletes."
 
One of the areas Jones takes the most pride in is the development of a dependable and robust student work force in the equipment room. With equipment rooms spread out across both floors of the athletics center and in the stadium, Jones needs reliable workers to manage the distribution of equipment and gear to the 600 student-athletes at Gettysburg. It's become a coveted role on campus and each individual that works with Jones receives important life lessons on organization and accountability.
 
"She leads by her actions and expects the same from those she mentors," stated Head Women's Lacrosse Coach Carol Cantele '83. "Her tough love is her greatest quality as it demonstrates that she has high expectations of others and believes in their abilities. The students that have been under her leadership grow into capable and confident people."
 
The evidence of her impact on students is prominently displayed over the doorway to her upstairs office. More than a dozen Stoles of Gratitude hang from above, signifying the incredible impact Jones had on those students' collegiate experiences. The graduates wear the stoles throughout the Commencement Exercises as a symbol of their appreciation for all of the individuals whose support was instrumental in bringing them to this day. At the reception following Commencement, graduates present the stole to someone to demonstrate their gratitude for that individual's role in their success.
 
"Those stoles choke me up every time I think about them," Jones said. "A student thought I had an impact on them for their four years. I think about the impact I had on the names on those stoles, and I think about the impact they had on me. I'm still in contact with those students. To think I had an impact on those students is powerful."
 
In a few cases, student-athletes return to Gettysburg as coaches and work with Jones in creating an environment where student-athletes can live up to their potential. Each coach that has walked the halls of the athletics center knows they can rely on Jones no matter the situation in good times and in bad.
 
"Kelly has helped me develop into the person, coach and athletic administrator I am today," said former volleyball coach and current Carnegie Mellon University Associate Director of Athletics Kim Kelly '92. "From very early in my career, Kelly showed me what was most important and that is our student-athletes. We need to be there for them.  We are in college athletics to develop young people into wonderful citizens. Kelly has been a mentor and teacher who made sure I knew what the most important aspect to our job is. I can't thank her enough for what she has done to get me on the right path of this wonderful career of athletics."
 
Jones has continued to connect with students and staff through various organizations and committees. She shares her faith with student-athletes through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and serves as a dimension leader in the Student-Athlete Impact Leader program. Jones has worked with the Campus Safety Committee for many years and has served an integral role as part of the Orange & Blue Golf Classic Committee. She helps O&B run the most successful fundraising event for athletics every year and she even gets out on the course to play alongside alums and former co-workers.
 
"To get to know these kids at a different level outside of athletics and academics is inspirational," said Jones. "You think you're at a low point and you talk to a student at FCA and how God had an impact on their life. It's awe-inspiring. It gives me goosebumps. Getting to know them at a different level in a different environment is amazing."
 

Outside of Gettysburg, Jones is an active and engaged leader among the equipment management profession and has held multiple positions as part of the Athletic Equipment Manager's Association (AEMA). She was one of the first equipment managers to take the first certification test in 1992 and she was elected as a district representative that year. As a member of AEMA's leadership board for over 15 years, she has overseen the certification of all equipment managers and set up workshops and educational experiences as part of the organization's annual conference. She has helped rewrite the organization's by-laws and continues to work for additional recognition for equipment managers from national governing bodies like the NCAA. 
 
In 2005, Jones was recognized by AEMA with the Glenn Sharpe Award, which is given to the outstanding equipment manager across all divisions. Jones was the first woman from a Division III institution to earn the distinction.
 
"Kelly Jones not only took the role of Equipment Management Specialist at Gettysburg College to an extremely high level, she moved the entire national organization (AEMA) to new heights," stated former Director of Athletics David Wright. "The influence and impact that Kelly has had on thousands of student-athletes and their families is beyond measure. What many people do not realize is that Kelly also served as a strong teacher, counselor, and trusted mentor for many students on campus. She was one of the very first to implement learning outcomes, leadership development, and growth objectives for her student employees."
 
Simple words on a screen do not give the impact Kelly Jones has made on Gettysburg College the due justice she so richly deserves. She might not have the wins and losses or the championship trophies in her bio, but she has shared more of those precious moments with the student-athletes, coaches, and staff than anyone else in the campus community.
 
"Kelly is the consummate professional," said Cantele. "She takes great pride in the role that she has served at the college since she arrived. She is respected among her peers in her profession, serving on leadership positions, but what will be Kelly's biggest legacy is the impact that she leaves on countless students that have worked for and with her and who she has served over her 35-year career."
 
Additional Quotes:
 
Carol Cantele '83
"It has been an honor to work alongside Kelly all these years.  She has been a partner with all the programs and has contributed greatly to the outstanding product called Gettysburg Athletics. She cares deeply about the programs, the coaches and the student-athletes. She has been the face of the athletic department for many, many years and her welcoming spirit to the visiting teams and the returning alumni have been a model for all to emulate."
 
Kim Kelly '92
"Kelly, enjoy retirement. It is so well-deserved. Understand the influence you have had on so many people. It is hard to think about Gettysburg College and you not being there every day.  Enjoy the golf course. Enjoy your family. And enjoy your relaxation. We love you!!"
 
Mike Mattia
"Kelly has earned this retirement with the amount of time and energy she has put into her job the last 35 years. Gettysburg Athletics will certainly not be the same without her." 
 
Catherine Schott Murray '00
"I count her as one of my dear friends and as a part of my family.  Congratulations on her retirement!  It is well deserved."
 
Barry Streeter
"First and foremost, Kelly is an outstanding person of character. She's so supportive of not just football or not just the athletes, but of our family. She's always been supportive of my family. She's loves them and they love her. That speaks volumes. There's no question the athletic department is going to miss her for a number of reasons, but mostly because of how much she cares about her job and how much she cares about the other people in the department. She's one of a kind."
 
Chuck Winters
"You were always greeted with a great smile and a 'can-do attitude' when you dealt with Kelly.  She is one of a kind!!!"
 
 David Wright
"Kelly was always the epitome of the consummate professional, but for the entire Wright family, Kelly Jones has always been more. She has not only been a cherished friend and colleague, she will forever be another member of our family. It will not only be difficult to replace Kelly Jones, it will literally be impossible."