2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 296
Celebrating the life of Nicole Gugenheim Yancey.
Agreed to by the Senate, March 13, 2026
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 14, 2026
WHEREAS, Nicole Gugenheim Yancey, a loving wife, mother, and grandmother and active and beloved member of the Newport News community who devoted many years to fostering positive ties between the citizens of France and the United States, died in March 2026; and
WHEREAS, born in Saint-Amand-Montrond, France, Nicole Yancey was a Holocaust survivor who endured the horrors of World War II before coming to Hampton in 1963, when she became one of the first foreign exchange students at what was then Christopher Newport College; and
WHEREAS, Nicole Yancey went on to serve as the honorary consul of France to the Commonwealth for 25 years, during which time she coordinated the establishment of the French Memorial in Yorktown and helped identify key places of significance to the history of relations between the United States and France; and
WHEREAS, Nicole Yancey supported the growth and development of young people as a French educator at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Newport News and by assisting with French classes at Warwick High School in Newport News and in York County Public Schools; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of her service, Nicole Yancey was presented with France's most prestigious honors, including the Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite, Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, and the Gold Medal of the Renaissance Française for Culture, Solidarity, and Francophonie; and