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‘Bobbie’ Gamble celebrated for enduring legacy

By Amy Lewis 

Family, friends and members of the community gathered Friday evening at the historic Ritz Theatre to honor the life and enduring legacy of Roberta “Bobbie” Gamble, a beloved educator and tireless advocate for the arts who helped shape Greenville’s artistic landscape. 

“…they just don’t make them like her anymore,” Greenville Mayor Dexter McLendon told the crowd. “That’s why I get chill bumps talking about her. I mean, she was just so special. She loved Greenville. She loved the Ritz. We would not be standing here right now if it wasn’t for Miss Bobbie.”

The May 17 event began at 5:30 p.m. with a reception and silent auction, followed by a commemorative program filled with personal stories and performances that reflected Gamble’s lasting impact on the community she served. In a surprise announcement during the evening, McLendon revealed plans to permanently install a ‘Hollywood-style’ star tile in Gamble’s honor in the sidewalk outside the Ritz Theatre.

“So we’re going to do something that’s never been done in the city of Greenville, and I’m going to get Nancy [Idland] to help me because she’s the one that’s done all of the work,” McLendon said while displaying the tile prototype. “And the day that [they] put the real one in, we’re going to have a real party and a real time.”

Nancy Idland, Director of the Greenville Area Arts Council, credited Gamble with putting a sustainable vision in place for the Ritz and its role in the community.

“The City of Greenville, our mayor and our councilman, they are the people who allow things to go on here because they own the Ritz,” Idland said. “The city owns the building and we pay them a rental fee along with every other organization that rents it. That was put in place by Ms. Bobbie because she was a visionary and she knew that it couldn’t happen without continuous funds coming in.”

Among those paying tribute was Butler County native and Oscar winner Vincent Womack, whose 2024 Academy Award for the documentary ‘The Last Repair Shop’ brought national recognition to his work.

“In first grade, she cast me in a show, ‘Hello Dolly,’ and that was really my first time being in any show,” Womack recalled. “But seeing her, being around her spirit and her fire, it really ignited something in me that continued to follow me throughout my life.”

“I’m proud to say that I’ve been in touch with her probably every month or two until the end of her life,” he added. “I love her dearly, I know she loves me and I’m just grateful to be a part of her legacy.”

Gamble, who passed away earlier this year, was widely regarded as a trailblazer in local arts education and a cornerstone of the Ritz Theatre’s revival. Friday’s tribute ensured her influence will continue to shine brightly in the heart of downtown Greenville — just as it did during her lifetime.