Gale A. McGloin

Gale McGloin was born on February 11, 1953, and died unexpectedly on February 3, 2024. Originally from Buffalo, New York, Gale earned her masters degree at the University of Pittsburgh in anthropology and subsequently made Pittsburgh her home. She is mourned by her sister Sharon McGloin of Kansas City MO; brothers Michael McGloin and John Straubinger, both of Buffalo; and countless friends around the world. She herself mourned the loss of her beloved mother Rosalie (1971), father Francis (1984) and life partner John Creighton (also 1984), whose untimely death at age 30 was an inconsolable loss.

Gale’s life was defined by her commitment to equity, justice and democracy for all, as well as a passion for the theatre and literary arts, and her career choices fulfilled most of these passions. From 1983-87 she served as Executive Director of the Oakland Women’s Center, developing networks for women to access an entire range of vital educational, legal and health resources throughout the region. In conjunction with the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh, The Center also provided counseling and support. She served as the Project Director for the Mon Valley Provider Council Project from 1987-89, and was the Executive Director of the Citizens League of SWPA from 1990-1993. 

As executive director of the Pittsburgh Mediation Center (PMC), Gale strengthened and expanded community collaborations by offering mediation training in the Pittsburgh public schools, with lawyers, and with law enforcement officers, forming a partnership with the county court system to develop a victim/offender restorative justice program designed to keep young offenders out of the pipeline leading to the criminal justice system. The Carnegie Library System was a valued partner during Gale’s tenure as executive director, first by providing a home to the PMC and continuing to provide space for community mediation. Her legacy and influence in the mediation community extends well beyond Pittsburgh to leadership roles in the Pennsylvania Council of Mediators, for whom she served as president, and as a member of the Advisory Committee, Joint State Government Commission Task Force on Alternative Dispute Resolution, Harrisburg.

From 2008-2012, Gale was the Director of Development for Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre (now PICT), where her donor cultivation was unparalleled, and her understanding of the importance of arts organizations to the city enriched the landscape for PICT and other theatre companies. She developed educational programs including student matinees and panel discussions, and personally supported many theatres with her subscriptions.

In 2013, Gale became an independent nonprofit and fundraising consultant, turning years of experience in leadership and development into an asset for organizations including Nine Mile Run Watershed (now UpstreamPgh), who credits her with securing the funding to enable them to expand education and the design, construction and monitoring of green stormwater infrastructure. Her commitment to the environment included spearheading the creation of an urban rain garden in her Oakland high-rise apartment community.

Gale volunteered for many organizations and political causes and candidates and worked on voter registration campaigns. She served on numerous boards and was most recently the chair of the Squonk Opera board, and was a key administrator for Kinetic Theatre. 

Gale enjoyed traveling in the US and abroad, visiting, among other places, Myanmar, Thailand, Morocco, France, Romania, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and she was a chaperone for a State Department-sponsored youth trip to Peru.

Gale met every two weeks with ROOT writers and had been working on her novel, Ferncliff, set in that iconic neighborhood on Lake Erie which she visited annually, and she honed her craft in numerous playwriting and fiction writing workshops. She was a proud alumna of Leadership Pittsburgh Class XIV, and a member of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to one of the three charities Gale actively supported: UpstreamPgh, Squonk Opera, and Kinetic Theatre. A celebration of life is being planned for April 20, 2024 at the Friends Meeting House from 12-3. PLEASE RSVP AT TAB BELOW. Arrangements by John A. Freyvogel Sons, Inc.

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