Nancy Cox, Co-Founder and President/ Director of the University City Arts League and Vice Chair of the Executive Democratic Committee

Nancy Jane (Christie) Cox, 81, a longstanding West Philadelphia resident and former Director of the University City Arts League and Democratic Committee leader, died on Tuesday, August 28, of a stroke at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital.

Born in Philadelphia on April 14, 1931, she began her nursing career as a Registered Nurse at the Pennsylvania Hospital, where she met her husband James Lee Dolan Cox, MD a 4th year University of Pennsylvania Medical student in the emergency room. They married two years later on June 6, 1953 in Northeast Philadelphia. She went on to receive a Bachelor and Masters of Nursing Degrees at the University of Pennsylvania, where she completed her coursework for a Doctorate in Philosophy of Education and also taught in the nursing program.

While pursuing her education, she was raising her family of five children in West Philadelphia, where James and she settled and have lived continuously since 1957. Shortly after their arrival, she began decades of passionate community service in many pursuits: the arts, politics, and neighborhood activities.

In 1965, she and a handful of West Philadelphia artists, founded the University City Arts League where she served in several capacities over four decades; primary fund raiser, director, board member and president. According to the current UCAL director, Noreen Shanfelter, “Nancy was a most beloved Board member, who always wrote individual notes or letters to people, who helped the UCAL in any way.”

She helped her husband found the University City Swim Club in 1963, one of the first integrated swim clubs in the United States.

She was Vice-chair of the 46th Ward Executive Democratic Committee. According to Jannie Blackwell, the 46th Ward Leader and city councilwoman, “Nancy Cox was a leader in her Ward and community for as long as anyone can remember”.

Beside her family, politics and community service, her passions included reading and travel. She traveled all over the world with her husband and her five children and later with James and their grandchildren to places such as China, Russia, Morocco, Argentina and various European countries. One of her disappointments in life was she only able to make it to six of the seven continents-missing Antarctica.

She is survived by husband James, her five children Linda Susan Cox, MD, Barbara Ellen Katlian, James Lee Dolan Cox, Jr, Eric Andrew Cox and Christine Caroline Cox and her grandchildren, (Eric): Eric Andrew Cox, Jr, Katherine Jane Cox, (Linda): Mary Elizabeth Cox Wolfgram, Christopher Alexander Cox Wolfgram, (Lee): James Lee Dolan Cox, III, (Lee): Bennett Christie Cox, (Christine) Warren Cox Miller, her sister Gloria Goodwin, brother William Christie and numerous nieces and nephews.

Services will be held at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on Saturday September 1st at 11:00AM

St. Mary's Episcopal Church
Hamilton Village
3916 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, Pa 19104
Reception to follow

A fund has been set up in her honor - the Nancy Jane Cox Education Fund for Youth. Checks can be made out to:

University City Arts League
4226 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104