Evelyn 'Scotty' M. Gembala, 95, volunteer and fundraiser for Fairmount Park mansions
Mrs. Gembala threw many elegant parties. They were often written up in the society columns of the Inquirer and the Evening Bulletin.
Services are set for Sunday, June 10, for Evelyn "Scotty" Macauley Gembala, 95, a volunteer leader and fund-raiser who worked to preserve and maintain the historic mansions in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. Mrs. Gembala died Wednesday, April 11, of complications from Alzheimer's disease at home in East Falls.
"Scotty was a dedicated and tireless worker for causes in which she believed," said her daughter-in-law, Tish Gembala. "She was adept at bringing together committees of people to work toward goals of fund-raising and programming."
Mrs. Gembala organized a series of dinners in the 1980s at the Fairmount Park houses, not only as fund-raising events but also "to showcase the jewels these houses are in our city," her daughter-in-law said.
Mrs. Gembala brought in researchers to document the history of the park's houses and to create exhibits of the items they had gathered. Then the public was invited to tour them.
In 1982, Mrs. Gembala, who lived in East Falls, was serving as a tour guide at Strawberry Mansion with Maureen Harrison, of Radnor when they learned that Ormiston Mansion, another historic building in Fairmount Park, was up for lease.
"We decided to go for it," Mrs. Gembala told the Inquirer in October 1982.
The two women founded the Royal Heritage Society to act as the nonprofit sponsor of the project. With that in place, they obtained a one-year renewable lease from the City of Philadelphia and as part of the deal, the society agreed to maintain and preserve the 1798 Georgian structure.
Their goal was to make the mansion a showcase for historical artifacts signifying the ties between Britain and Philadelphia.
"She worked tirelessly to promote relationships between the British Commonwealth and Philadelphia for decades," said her daughter, Rosaleen B. Parsons.
During the Christmas holidays, Mrs. Gembala led a committee that decorated the park houses and opened them to the public. She played Christmas music on the piano and shared the wassail bowl while visitors experienced the historic surroundings.
But her activities weren't limited to the park mansions. She served on the board of governors of the English Speaking Union, which promoted the Shakespeare Competition. The national event helps teachers with language-arts curricula.
In the 1970s, '80s, and '90s, she threw many elegant parties, and accounts of the social events appeared in the Inquirer and the Evening Bulletin.
Mrs. Gembala was a member of the Fairmount Park Commission and a member and president of the "Committee of 1926," the organizing body at Strawberry Mansion. She received many awards for her civic achievements from Philadelphia Mayors W. Wilson Goode and John F. Street.
Although Mrs. Gembala became a naturalized citizen in 1976, she remained a royalist. "She loved the royal family and never missed the fund-raising party each June to celebrate the queen's birthday," her daughter-in-law said.
Mrs. Gembala was invited to meet Queen Elizabeth II in 2006 at London's Buckingham Palace. She called the meeting one of the best moments of her life.
Born in Craigneuk, Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1922, Mrs. Gembala graduated from Ogilvie College School of Social Science in 1945, and did graduate work in social sciences at the University of Edinburgh. She never lost her Scottish brogue.
She was chairman of the Scottish Education Department responsible for music, arts, and drama in the schools of Western Scotland. She came to the United States in 1954 under a one-year grant to study at the University of Pennsylvania.
She soon met lawyer Joseph E. Gembala Jr. but returned to Scotland in March 1955 when her grant expired. He traveled there in June and declared that he would not leave without marrying her. They married in August 1955 and returned to Philadelphia, where Mrs. Gembala worked as a social worker with Catholic Charities before starting a family.
The couple raised two children in East Falls.
Mrs. Gembala's husband died in 2000. In addition to her daughter and daughter-in-law, she is survived by a son, Joseph A. III; and two grandchildren.
A celebration of her life will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, June 10, at Ormiston Mansion, 2000 Reservoir Dr., Philadelphia, Pa. 19121. Burial was private. Donations in her memory may be made to Ormiston Mansion at the address above.