SR 2034 — Celebrating the life of Christopher Lansing Yates.

+ 2026 SPECIAL SESSION I + + INTRODUCEDENROLLED + + + 26200163D+ + SENATE RESOLUTION NO.

2034 IE Offered+ June+ 15, 2026 N Celebrating+elebrating the life of Christopher Lansing Yates.

T+ —————R Patron—Deeds+ R+ —————Agreed to by the Senate, June 22, 2026 O L WHEREAS, Christopher Lansing Yates of Richmond, an inspirational community activist who touched L countless lives through his support for young people, dedication to preserving democratic ideals, and D unwavering commitment to servant leadership, died on May 15, 2026;

and E WHEREAS, Christopher “Chris” Yates grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, and came to the Commonwealth UD C 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 E 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 D 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;

Anne's Episcopal Parish, providing R the Scottsville community with its only accredited early childhood education center at the time;

and 0 WHEREAS, after retirement, Chris Yates settled in Richmond and became an active member of St.

Paul's 3 Episcopal Church, through which he began volunteering with the Woodville Elementary Communities in E Schools program;

he also mentored young people through the Armstrong Leadership Program and SR volunteered at Richmond Hill;

and R 24 WHEREAS, in December 2024, Chris Yates joined RVA Indivisible, a grassroots organization promoting 3 civic change, equality, inclusion, and democracy in the Commonwealth and throughout the nation;

and 4 WHEREAS, Chris Yates was highly admired as a passionate and driven activist, who was not only skilled at organizing and leading demonstrations, but went above and beyond to engage with his fellow participants on a personal level;

now, therefore, be it 35 RESOLVED, That the Senate of Virginia hereby note with great sadness the loss of Christopher Lansing 36 Yates, a highly admired community leader and activist in Richmond;

and, be it 37 RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to 38 the family of Christopher Lansing Yates as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's respect for his memory.

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