Dr. Steven H. Gale

Frankfort, Kentucky – Dr. Steven H. Gale, 82, passed away on February 12, 2023. He was born on August 18, 1940, in San Diego, California, the oldest child of Dr. Norman Gale and Mary Wilder Haase. Steve graduated from Duke University, UCLA, and the University of Southern California. He was a professor of English, specializing in modern drama and film, and was the founding president of the Harold Pinter Society and a leading expert on Pinter’s work. Steve was a member of the 1964 cultural exchange team, Project India, and was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Liberia, West Africa, in 1973. He also taught at the University of Puerto Rico, the University of Florida, and Missouri Southern State College. He served as the Endowed Chair in the Humanities at Kentucky State University from 1988-2015. Steve authored sixteen books, including Encyclopedia of American Humorists, Encyclopedia of British Humorists, West African Folktales, books on humorist S. J. Perelman, and numerous studies of Harold Pinter’s plays and screenplays. He also co-edited fourteen editions of the Pinter Review, and published hundreds of articles, essays, reviews, scholarly papers, study guides, and creative works. He served as a Danforth Associate and as president of the Frankfort Arts Foundation, was a member of the Frankfort Rotary Club, and was listed in Who’s Who in the World. He loved being a family man, and enjoyed caring for his many pets, traveling the world, playing poker, and watching his racehorses run. Steve is survived by his wife of almost 50 years, Kathy Johnson Gale, daughters Shannon Gale, Ashley Smith (Jason Smith), and Heather Gale (Joshu Goebeler), grandsons Edison Gale and Paxton Smith, sister Norma Wetzel, and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Bill Gale. To honor Steve, we ask that you plant a tree, take a walk in the woods, or donate to Hospice or the World Wildlife Fund. Services will be held at Harrod Brothers Funeral Home on Monday, February 20, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. with Chaplain Adam Standiford officiating. A private burial will follow. Visitation will be held at Harrod Brothers Funeral Home from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Monday. Arrangements are under the direction of Harrod Brothers Funeral Home & Crematory.

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Dr. Steven H. Gale

August 18, 1940 - February 12, 2023