Newcomb, Nadine J.

Nadine J. Newcomb, 93, died January 27, 2007, at her home in Blacksburg, Va. Her husband was the late Robert E. Newcomb, lawyer.

Their happy marriage of more than 54 years produced three children who survive, Kylea Taylor, of Santa Cruz, Calif., and her husband, Jim Schofield, John Newcomb, of Blacksburg, and his wife, Jennifer, Dr. Steven Newcomb, of Blacksburg, and his wife, Vicky; seven grandchildren, Dr. Mary Kay Duffie-Rangel, and her husband, Stephen Rangel, of Bozeman, Mont., Taylor Albright, and her husband, Victor Bongard, of Blacksburg, Peter Newcomb, and his wife, Chris, of Boulder, Colo., Torrey Newcomb, of Seattle, Wash., Elisabeth Newcomb, of College Park, Md., Robert Newcomb, and his wife, Tara, of Virginia Beach, Va., and William Newcomb, of Ft. Myers, Fla.; and four great-grandchildren, Victoria, William, and Griffin Bongard, and Isaac Newcomb.

Nadine was born December 31, 1913, in Glassboro, N.J. She graduated from Glassboro High School as valedictorian, Ursinus College with honors in English, the University of Pennsylvania Law School with a J.D. degree, and Drexel University Library School with a B.S. in L.S.

Her life was spent trying to improve communities in which she lived. In Glassboro, N.J., she was, at various times, chair of the Planning Board, chair of the Housing Authority (which built 100 units for families and 60 units for the elderly, and a 200 acre urban renewal project.) For ten years she was the Director of the Glassboro Public Library, started a program called “Good Start” for disadvantaged parents and their preschool children, and moved the library into larger quarters.

Nadine was an Elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Glassboro, taught an adult class, was chair of the Building Committee which built a new church building, was chair of the Committee of Religion and Race for West Jersey Presbytery, and made two trips to the South in the 1960’s to help with voter registration of African-Americans.

When she and her husband moved to Blacksburg in 1988, they joined Northside Presbyterian Church. She was awarded “Outstanding Older Active Adult” by the Presbytery of the Peaks, and later by the Synod of the Northeast. In Blacksburg, she was active in the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, serving as President during 1994, and as Membership Chair for several years.

She was an ardent gardener and played tennis enthusiastically until she was 85. She and her husband started a “Great Books” reading group that still continues. McCoy Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.