HONORING NANCY NORDHOFF

On 2026-02-24, Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-7) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING NANCY NORDHOFF" in the House. The speech addressed immigration and also covered healthcare, the environment.

HONORING NANCY NORDHOFF

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2026)] [House] [Pages H2265-H2266] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING NANCY NORDHOFF (Ms. Jayapal of Washington was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Ms. JAYAPAL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Nancy Nordhoff. Nancy passed away peacefully on January 7 at the age of 93 at her home on Whidbey Island. She was surrounded by her family. She fiercely and steadfastly championed women's rights, literary arts, and environmental causes for over five decades. It is so appropriate that I honor her today, a day when so many survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's horrific ring of predators and pedophiles are still awaiting justice. Those survivors are here to draw attention to this massive coverup and to call for justice. Nancy would have loved that. She would have loved that so many of us [[Page H2266]] are wearing white today to honor the suffragettes and to say that we are not giving up on this struggle for women's rights and women's voices. Nancy was a beloved Pacific Northwest philanthropist, a giant among giants, who used her resources and her time to make change that supported and lifted up the voices and the needs of those too often left behind. Throughout her lifetime, she generously founded and supported groundbreaking nonprofits and her local community. Everywhere she turned, she made people's lives better, not only in Washington State but across the United States and across the world. A proud graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Nancy's feminism, charitable giving, and activism were the foundation of her life's work: seeing a need, coming up with a solution, and taking action to make people's lives better. In 1988, Nancy founded Hedgebrook, a world-renowned nonprofit on Whidbey Island that supports female-identified writers with residencies and radical hospitality, on land that allowed for rest, rejuvenation, creativity, and a reconnection to nature. Nancy believed that it is women's voices that make the world better and that those voices have been silenced for far too long and that we need to be actually intentional about nurturing and lifting up those voices. Hedgebrook has established hundreds of new and known writers who came to bravely define their own lives, communities, and creative and political paths. It wasn't just a place. It was Nancy herself who never stepped away from the work. She was there, meeting writers, listening to their ideas, educating herself, and often becoming the wind behind their sails. For over 38 years, Hedgebrook has supported a growing and influential alumnae community of women authoring change. Now over 2,000 writers strong, it has reached millions of people of all ages. Hedgebrook's ripple effect is truly remarkable. I was fortunate to meet Nancy decades ago through my own residency there and then later to serve on the board as Hedgebrook grew and then on the Creative Advisory Council with luminaries and friends like Gloria Steinem. Nancy's philanthropy and environmental advocacy also profoundly shaped her local community's physical and civic landscape. She founded Goosefoot Community Fund to support essential needs, help local businesses grow, preserve historic places and rural landscapes, and connect neighbors. She was instrumental in supporting the Whidbey Camano Land Trust acquisitions, restoring salmon habitats and protecting wetlands. Many organizations benefited from Nancy's hands-on support and largess. She literally loved getting her hands dirty every day, in the dirt, in the gardens. She was always the last to fold up tables at the end of countless social justice and book events that she made happen. Her humility, her grace, and her compassion were just some of the many qualities that set her apart and made her so beloved. She was also known to support families and individuals in times of need. She mentored many women in nonprofit leadership and philanthropy, while championing their creative projects and careers. I was one of those very fortunate ones to have called Nancy a true friend. She was such a remarkable and constant presence in my life and a supporter in every endeavor that I undertook from my early work on immigrant rights to my transition into politics. Nancy never wanted acknowledgment, even though she received numerous honors and awards for her life's work, including being designated a Women's History Month honoree by the National Women's History Project and a National Philanthropy Day Outstanding Philanthropist. Madam Speaker, it is not an exaggeration to say that millions of people who will never know her name have and will continue to benefit from her extraordinary life and legacy. Nancy is survived by her wife, Lynn Hays; her children, Grace Nordhoff, Charles ``Chuck'' Nordhoff, Carolyn Nordhoff Reid, and their spouses; and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We extend our tremendous gratitude to them for sharing her with the world. Her legacy of generosity and kindness will live on for generations to come. ____________________