Marguerite Myers Kerfoot Baumgartel was born July 23, 1917 in Kansas City, Missouri, to Alex and Ruth Hall Myers. She earned her B.F.A. from the University of Kansas in 1940. Her first marriage [Kerfoot] produced three sons: William B., W. Charles, and John R. Kerfoot, who are infrequently mentioned in her papers. As a single mother, she gave up work as a commercial illustrator to return to K.U., earning degrees in Art Education (a bachelors in 1958, masters in 1960, and doctorate in 1965) and a place on that department's faculty.

In 1964 Baumgartel married Howard J. Baumgartel, a K.U. professor of Industrial Organizational Psychology, while in Calcutta, India. From this marriage she acquired three step-children: John, Tom, and Mona Baumgartel. Fulbright Fellowships, both in her own right and by her husband, took the couple to India for six different residential periods.

Although Baumgartel's personal sculptural style was abstract and modernist, she spent considerable time and effort in researching ancient sculptural, architectural, and ornamental forms in India, particularly those relating to animals, both real and mythical. At K.U., she also taught a course on the history of art education in America, and many of her papers reflect her research in that field.

Marguerite Baumgartel joined the K.U. faculty in 1958 and retired May 15, 1981. She remained professionally active after her retirement and died October 1, 2009. She was buried in the University's Pioneer Cemetery.