Scott Jeffrey Gale

Dr. Scott Jeffrey Gale lived from December 20, 1950 born in Syracuse, New York to Dr. Arnold Sydney Gale, then a medical intern having just graduated from Harvard Medical School and Cynthia Marie Gale, both of Brookline, Massachusetts until he died June 16, 2022 in his home attended by his wife and their daughter. Dr. Gale died following a brief complication of rare bile duct cancer associated with his lifelong fifty-one year condition of Crohn’s Disease.

Dr. Gale is survived by his wife of forty-nine years, Margie Nicks Gale of Franklin, Tennessee and their daughter Rebecca Maureen Gale of Nashville; Tennessee, his cousins Linda Weitzman Harris (David) of Peabody, MA; Ric Weitzman (Carol) of Peabody, MA; James Lerner (Pat) of Canton, MA and their families. He was preceded in death by his cousin Jane Lerner of Wayland, MA as well as his parents Dr. Arnold and Cynthia Gale. He is also survived by his brothers in life: Ken Koles (Barbara) of Shaker Heights, OH; Robert Siegel (Donna, dec.) of Nashville, TN; Murphy Thomas (Barbara) of Murfreesboro, TN and Doug Mays (Cinda) of Lawrenceburg, TN as well as all of his Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity Brothers, Vanderbilt University Tau Chapter. He was preceded in death by his sister in life Rebecca Semenak Jordan (Jim) of Hendersonville, TN. Of note, he was the human for and is survived by Hendrix and was preceded in death by Tiger, Zelda, Octavian, Goldie, Sunshine and Katie. (Yes, he was a dog lover.)

After briefly living in Syracuse, NY; Providence, RI and Los Angeles, CA while his father completed his training in Anesthesiology. Scott grew up in Beachwood, OH, while his father established his anesthesiology practice at Mount Sinai Hospital in Cleveland, OH. Scott attended middle, junior high and high school in Beachwood, OH where he was a starter and lettered in varsity football. He was a drummer and member of the Beachwood High School marching and jazz bands and was also a member of a private group band with Marc Lynn, of Beachwood, OH and Mark Levit, currently of Fort Lauderdale, FL. They hired out for private parties and B’Nai Mitzvahs. He completed his Ben Torah at the First Unitarian Church in Shaker Heights with Rabbi Philip Horowitz’ guidance in December 1963. Along with his parents he was a member of Temple Br’ith Emeth in Pepper Pike, OH from 1966 until the 1980’s when the congregation merged with Park Synagogue and in 2006 became the home of the Ratner Montessori School housing 500 students.

The summer of 1968 after high school graduation Scott worked with Dr. Daniel Blumfield in Cardiology Research at Mount Sinai Hospital in Cleveland, OH. This same year Scott entered Vanderbilt University as a student of the Engineering School and a pre-med major. Scott was a member of Army ROTC (he played drums in the Army ROTC band) and as a freshman pledged to the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. In 1971 he was traded to the Vanderbilt University College of Arts and Science when his advisor discovered he was completing courses in psychology rather than engineering (thanks to fraternity brother Chuck Reardon who worked registration) and was in fact majoring in the field of psychology. Scott played intramural football for AEPi earning the nickname “Bruiser.” He also started a small business, the Sunshine Record Company with roommate and fraternity brother Russ Flaum, of Jericho, NY now of Franklin, TN.

Scott earned four degrees from Vanderbilt University: a Bachelor of Arts undergraduate degree with a major in Psychology and a minor in English in 1972; and three graduate degrees from Peabody College of Vanderbilt, a Master of Arts in 1974, an Education Specialist degree in 1976 and a Doctorate in Education in 1983, all in the field of Human Development Counseling. He was licensed in Tennessee as a psychological examiner in 1976, completed his Psychology Internship in 1980 specializing in child, adolescent and family practice at Northridge Guidance Center and Van Nuys Center for the Family in the greater Los Angeles area and became licensed in Tennessee as a Clinical Psychologist Health Service Provider in 1984.

While working towards his doctoral degree and licensure Scott held practice positions at Crockett Academy, the Adolescent Treatment Unit for Tennessee’s Central State Psychiatric Hospital and later Luton Mental Health Center clinic in Hermitage, TN as well as an Adjunct Clinical Faculty position in the Psychiatric Mental Health Specialty of the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. He also sought and contracted additional consultation and training in couples therapy with psychologist William Fitts from 1977-79. Dr. Gale opened his first private practice office in Columbia, TN in 1984. He accepted the position of Chief Psychologist of the Columbia Area Mental Health Center in 1987 following an illness with multiple surgeries and closure of his private practice earlier that year. In 1990 Dr. Gale reopened his practice of psychology in Franklin, TN. He held practice privileges at Williamson Medical Center and assisted the Franklin Police Department, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department, Berry Hill Police Department and Baptist & St. Thomas Hospitals Security Departments in the evaluation and certification of their staff according to Federal POST standards. He served as the clinical psychologist to the Center for Living and Learning in Franklin, TN from 1991 until the present. His practice served as an adjunct clinical placement for Columbia State Nursing students from 1992 – 2019. Dr. Gale again took medical leave from 2004-2006 and reopened his practice in Franklin from that date until 2022. He offered specialized services in psychological testing and assessment providing them to the military, the State of Tennessee as well as attorneys and individuals.

Scott provided some of the initial Crisis Call Center services offered in Middle Tennessee in the early 1970s later also providing volunteer training and serving as licensed professional mental health clinical back-up for volunteers answering calls. He has served on the Boards of Center for Living and Learning as well as the State of Tennessee Board of Psychology; the latter Board both as a member and later Chair of the Tennessee Board of Psychology. He served on the Vanderbilt University Hospital Patient Advisory Board from its inception to the present. Scott has been a core member of two Forensic Psychology consultation groups in Nashville and a longstanding clinical practice peer consultation group in Murfreesboro, TN with psychologist Murphy Thomas and Associates. He has been a career long member of both the American Psychology Association as well as the Tennessee Psychology Association.

Scott was an amateur ham radio operator since age twelve studying along with his Dad and registered under the call sign WA8HMA; he was an avid motorcycle enthusiast with his wife Margie enjoying his R75 BMW motorcycle with full body fairing during graduate school. He held a student pilot’s license in SOARING (airplane gliding), enjoyed golf with his friends and completed SCUBA certification with his daughter Rebecca when she was twelve. He enjoyed being a member of Toastmasters International along with his friends (and fraternity brothers) Phil Sherrod and Robert Siegel. He was a member of the Williamson County Chavurah and Religious Education Committee in the early 1990s before there was a temple in his community. He held family membership at Temple Ohabai Shalom in Nashville and Congregation Micah in Brentwood, TN. An avid swimmer as a child Scott recently enjoyed swimming with his wife Margie at Lifetime Fitness in Franklin; sharing his practice office with his daughter Rebecca and enjoying both jazz and classical music at home.

Dr. Gale will be buried at the Middle Tennessee Veteran’s Cemetery in a private service. A memorial service for Dr. Gale is scheduled for Wednesday June 29, 2022 at 2:30 pm at Congregation Micah located at 2001 Old Hickory Boulevard Brentwood, Tennessee 37027 with Rabbi Laurie Rice officiating.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to http://www.centerforlivingandlearning.com/

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.marshalldonnellycombs.com for the Gale family.