2026 SPECIAL SESSION I
ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 2034
Celebrating the life of Christopher Lansing Yates.
Agreed to by the Senate, June 22, 2026
WHEREAS, Christopher Lansing Yates of Richmond, an inspirational community activist who touched countless lives through his support for young people, dedication to preserving democratic ideals, and unwavering commitment to servant leadership, died on May 15, 2026; and
WHEREAS, Christopher “Chris” Yates grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, and came to the Commonwealth to pursue higher education at Hampden-Sydney College, where he played on the golf team, and began to cultivate his lifelong passion for activism, winning the Commander Robert Weed Memorial Award for his work to establish the outreach program Students for Community Service; and
WHEREAS, Chris Yates was an avid bicyclist, and after graduating from college, he traveled throughout Europe, then cycled from Los Angeles to Seattle and east across Canada before returning to Virginia, where he began working with at-risk youths at the New Dominion School in Dillwyn in 1976; and
WHEREAS, Chris Yates founded the Discovery School of Virginia in 1998 and served as its executive director until his retirement in 2014; during that period, he also volunteered with Piedmont Habitat for Humanity and co-founded the Little Learners Tri-County Preschool at St. Anne's Episcopal Parish, providing the Scottsville community with its only accredited early childhood education center at the time; and
WHEREAS, after retirement, Chris Yates settled in Richmond and became an active member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, through which he began volunteering with the Woodville Elementary Communities in Schools program; he also mentored young people through the Armstrong Leadership Program and volunteered at Richmond Hill; and
WHEREAS, in December 2024, Chris Yates joined RVA Indivisible, a grassroots organization promoting civic change, equality, inclusion, and democracy in the Commonwealth and throughout the nation; and