Nancy D.C. Knox, John W. Drake, Mildred Scudder, Catherine M. Weldon
Nancy D.C. Knox
Former Princeton resident
SANTA FE, N.M. Nancy Dunbar Corbusier Knox died Tuesday in Santa Fe. She was 93.
Born in Plainfield, Mrs. Knox attended The Hartridge School and Smith College. In 1934, while studying archeology and Native American ethnology in Santa Fe, she met her future husband. They were married in 1936 in Plainfield.
For 40 years, they lived in Princeton, where Mr. Knox was the founder and president of the Princeton Film Center, before returning to Santa Fe permanently in 1982.
Mrs. Knox was a historian, historical researcher, newspaper reporter, prolific author of non-fiction and fiction, and writer of documentary movie screenplays. In 1941, she and her husband made a film in New Mexico for the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, which was nominated for an Academy Award. Mrs. Knox studied acting in New York and England and appeared in numerous amateur productions.
Mrs. Knox’s long association with the Southwest stemmed from her grandfather, William Henry Corbusier, colonel and U.S. Army Medical Officer, who was stationed in numerous posts in the region after the Civil War. Most recently, she was the inspiration and moving force behind the publication of her paternal grandfather’s and grandmother’s memoirs by the University of Oklahoma Press.
Mrs. Knox was involved in numerous Princeton-area community activities, including the Princeton Historical Society, Watershed Association, Planned Parenthood, the American Red Cross, Princeton Community Players, Princeton Open Space Commission, Princeton Historic Sites Commission, Service League, the preservation of the Delaware & Raritan Canal, and the Herrontown Woods Commission. In Santa Fe, she volunteered at the American School of Research.
Daughter of the late Dr. Harold and Mrs. Louise Corbusier of Santa Fe and Plainfield, wife of the late Gordon Knox and sister of the late Barbara Corbusier Stevenson Pflueger of Santa Fe and Frances Corbusier O’Brien of Bremo Bluff, Va., she is survived by daughter Cynthia Knox Watts of Santa Fe; sons Harold C. Knox of Santa Fe, Thomas S. Knox and his wife, Jill, of Tucson, Ariz., and Gordon Knox, Jr. and his wife, Kathryn, of Shelburne, Vt.; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Burial will be in Plainfield at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mrs. Knox’s name to the Salvation Army, 525 W. Alameda, Santa Fe, NM 87501 or The Nature Conservancy, 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203.
John W. Drake
Montgomery farmer
MONTGOMERY John W. Drake died Sunday at the University Medical Center at Princeton. He was 82.
Born in Princeton, Mr. Drake was a resident of Skillman, where he worked the family farm his entire life.
A 1943 graduate of Princeton High School, he enjoyed the outdoors, including hunting, fishing and trapping, and he raised chickens and produced eggs.
Preceded in death by his parents, G. Wilbur and Helen A. Drake, his first wife, June Tedeschi Drake, and his second wife, Jeanne Munley Drake, he is survived by children Sally Drake of Lawrence, Cathy and Dennis McClenahan of West Windsor and John Henry Drake of Montgomery; brother Donald Drake of Montgomery; grandchildren Sandy and Cynthia McClenahan; and several nieces and nephews.
The funeral was Thursday at the Cromwell-Immordino Memorial Home, Hopewell. Interment followed in Rocky Hill Cemetery.
Mildred Scudder
Retired from medical center
CRANBURY Mildred Scudder died Nov. 20 at home. She was 87.
Born in Princeton, where she lived most of her life, she moved to Cranbury 20 years ago. She was educated in the Princeton public schools and was a graduate of Princeton High School.
Ms. Scudder was a retired employee of Princeton Medical Center with over 20 years of service.
Daughter of the late James and Virginia Monroe, wife of the late Eugene Scudder, she is survived by daughter Jeanie Matlock; son James Scudder and his companion, Margaret Caswell; granddaughter Gabrielle Matlock; several nieces and nephews; and special cousin Blanche Chase.
The funeral was Nov. 28 at the Hughes Funeral Home, Trenton, followed by interment in Ewing Cemetery.
Catherine M. Weldon
Taught at Stuart
HAMILTON Catherine M. Weldon died Saturday in St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton. She was 77.
Born in New York City, Mrs. Weldon was a longtime resident of Union City before moving to Hamilton 10 years ago, where she was a member of St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church.
She received her bachelor’s degree from Jersey City State College and her master’s degree from Thomas Edison State College.
She had been employed as a teacher at the Stuart Country Day School in Princeton and was also a volunteer teacher at the Martin House in Trenton. She was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis, Our Lady of Fatima Learning Center, liked to travel and was an avid reader.
Predeceased by her grandson, James Sean Weldon, she is survived by her husband of 54 years, James W. Weldon; daughters and sons-in-law Catherine and Jim Sabol, Claire and Angel Denis, Elizabeth and Vincent Porcelli, and Teresa and Joseph Ferlisi; sons James Weldon Jr., Edward Weldon and his wife, Roseann, William Weldon, Joseph Weldon and Charles Weldon and his wife, Wendy; sister Elizabeth Sweetra; grandchildren Sharon, Brian, Michael E., Matthew, Josiah, Michael W., Eddie, Mary, Cathy, Patty, Elizabeth, Andrew, Emily, Alex, Andrea, Bernadette, Amanda and Katie; and several nieces and nephews.
The funeral was Thursday at the Saul Colonial Home, Hamilton Square. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church. Interment followed in Brig. Gen. William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Arneytown.

