In Memoriam

Angela Plowden-Wardlaw
1944-2024

COOPERSTOWN—Angela Plowden-Wardlaw died at home in Cooperstown, New York on December 13, 2024, surrounded by her cherished husband, James, her beloved son, Henry, and devoted friends. She was 80 years old.

Born Angela May Hill on January 28, 1944, she was the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Henry D. (Minna) Hill of New York and London. Her father was president of Berry-Hill Galleries.

Angela attended the Lycée Française de New York and was a graduate of the Brearley School and Sarah Lawrence College. She was presented at the 1962 Debutante Cotillion and Christmas Ball.

Angela’s love of travel and adventure began in her youth when family summers were spent in the UK and Europe. After college, she spent more than a year abroad and conducted graduate studies in art history at the University of Rome.

Upon her return to New York, in 1970, Angela commenced a successful career in publishing. At “American Heritage,” she was an assistant editor for Horizon Books, where she researched and wrote on many topics, including the history of Russia. Angela’s first marriage, to Henry Lorimer Weldon Jr. in 1971, ended in divorce.

In 1973, Angela began a 30-year career at the “Reader’s Digest,” then in its heyday. She rose through the editorial ranks, eventually becoming managing editor of Select Editions, the Reader’s Digest’s line of condensed books. Possessing a great instinct for recognizing future bestsellers and promising authors, she spotted the first commercial successes of Mary Higgins Clark and John Grisham.

In 2003, Angela retired from the “Reader’s Digest” and began an in-depth study of Lord Nelson. Her fascination with the famed English naval hero led to her annual participation in Pickle Night, a Royal Navy tradition of dinners held round the world to commemorate the 1805 arrival in London of HMS Pickle, the ship that carried news of Nelson’s victory and death at the battle of Trafalgar. Angela became a leader of the American Friends of the National Museum of the Royal Navy and succeeded in raising funds for the restoration of Nelson’s flagship, the HMS Victory.

With boundless energy and a deep interest in advances in biomedical research, Angela began a second career in 2005 when she joined the development office of The Rockefeller University. She brought her prodigious talents as a writer and editor to the fundraising initiatives of the renowned research institution for 18 years, until she retired for a second time in 2023, at the age of 79.

In November 1985, Angela met the love of her life, James Campbell Plowden-Wardlaw, and they married five months later. It was James who introduced Angela to his hometown of Cooperstown, New York, which became her second home. They eventually found the perfect spot on Huff Road to build Ooty House. Drawing its name from Ootacamunda, known as the “Queen” of British Raj hill stations, Ooty House reflected their love of India and Angela’s remarkable style and impeccable taste in art, design, and antiques.

Even while waging a valiant battle against cancer, nothing could dim Angela’s enthusiasm for hosting cocktails and dinner for friends at an artfully arranged table. One of her favorite sites for dinner was the veranda of Ooty House, from which Otsego Lake can be seen.

Angela was a dedicated patron of The Glimmerglass Festival and Fenimore Art Museum, and an active member of the Cooperstown Country Club and Christ Church. She loved Cooperstown, but she was always a New Yorker at heart and regularly returned to her apartment in Manhattan, where she was a member of the Colony Club.

Throughout her life, Angela was an indefatigable traveler, fluent in French and Italian. Whether traversing between New York City and Cooperstown on a weekly basis, making frequent visits to London, or jetting with James and friends to destinations as varied as European capitals, Russia, India, Egypt, and Cambodia, Angela was always thinking of more places she wished to explore.

Angela is survived by her husband, James, of Cooperstown, her beloved son, Henry L. Weldon III and his wife, Sarah, and her adored grandchildren Jasper and Gemma of Portland, Oregon. She also leaves her brother, Frederick D. Hill (Eileen) of New York City, Alexander C. Weldon (Judith Claiborne Tomlinson) of Puerto Rico, and stepdaughters Stephanie (Emmanuel) Caillaud of Switzerland and Lina (Scott) Karman of Seattle, Washington, and all their families.

A memorial will be held in Cooperstown in spring 2025.