Bill Text: VA SR242 | 2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Nellie Hayse.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-06 - Laid on Clerk's Desk [SR242 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2025-SR242-Introduced.html
2025 SESSION
INTRODUCED
25106320D
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 242
Offered February 6, 2025
Celebrating the life of Nellie Hayse.
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Patron—Craig
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WHEREAS, Nellie Hayse, an esteemed leader in the nonprofit community and devoted Girl Scout, died on December 14, 2024; and
WHEREAS, Nellie Hayse was a lifetime Girl Scout who spent her youth years in Girl Scouts while living in Kentucky; she became a Mariner Girl Scout as a teen and was selected for her demonstrated leadership to represent Girl Scouts on an international trip to England aboard the Queen Mary where she took part in an educational and leadership experience; she earned the highest award bestowed upon a Girl Scout at that time, the Curved Bar; and
WHEREAS, Nellie Hayse furthered her leadership skills as a college student and graduated from Wellesley College in 1957 with honors; and
WHEREAS, Nellie Hayse dedicated her professional career to Girl Scouts and served in three different Girl Scout Councils in a variety of roles; she became a Girl Scout executive director of two councils, serving as the lead for Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast, a council serving members in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, beginning in 1980 and retiring in 2004; and
WHEREAS, Nellie Hayse was a trailblazer who had an impact on the lives of girls and women in the Greater Hampton Roads area; she tirelessly championed a campaign that resulted in the building of A Place for Girls, the headquarters and regional program center for Girl Scouts in Chesapeake; she also designed and made possible The Outback, the eight-acre nature area that lies behind A Place for Girls; the Virginia Southeastern Birding Trail is named in her honor – the Nellie Hayse Birding Trail – and is located in The Outback; and
WHEREAS, Nellie Hayse was an outdoor enthusiast and promoted being an environmental steward; as such, she led many groups into the outdoors, including backpack trips on the Appalachian Trail; thanks to her love for nature, thousands of Girl Scouts had outdoor experiences and came to respect the Leave No Trace mantra, whether it was at one of the many camps she helped maintain within the council, or through state park programs she supported; and
WHEREAS, Nellie Hayse was a founding member of the Friends of Women Studies at Old Dominion University and supported the start of the school's Department of Women's and Gender Studies, which was one of the first programs to offer a women studies degree in the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Nellie Hayse was a role model for many girls and women; she was the first woman to become a member and to serve on the board of The Hampton Roads Sail and Power Squadron; she was also one of the first women to join the Great Bridge Rotary and serve on their board; and
WHEREAS, Nellie Hayse served on many community boards and championed many causes within the Greater Hampton Roads community, and she was recognized for her leadership with many awards; these awards included recognition as the Virginia Nonprofit Administrator of the Year and the Outstanding Business Woman of the Year; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of Virginia hereby note with great sadness the loss of Nellie Hayse, a treasured member of the Greater Hampton Roads community whose integrity, compassion, and dedication inspired all who knew her; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Nellie Hayse as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's respect for her memory.
