Jacqueline Gupton was born in Fontainebleau, where she attended the Lycée International, followed by two years of studying English in London. She then relocated to Germany, where she worked in computer software development for the U.S. Department of Defense.
In the U.S., Jacqueline attended the University of North Carolina and worked in the French Department, in charge of their Exchange Program with l’Université de Lyon. After moving to Greenwich, CT with her husband, she assisted the “Welcome Wagon” organization by founding and leading “les Francofilles,” an organization dedicated to promoting social and cultural interchanges between francophones.
She also tutored in French at the local school, and served on the Board of the Alliance Française for twenty years, where she organized l’Alliance du Soir French-language conferences and a French “cineclub.”
Working with volunteers from l’Accueil New York (ANY), she also helped organize “cafés rencontres” for lonely French retirees. In 1998, the Guptons purchased Rocklands, a historic property near Gordonsville, VA. They have spent fifteen years on its restoration, including adding a formal French-style garden, relocating a 12th-century stone tower from France and re-assembling a 17th-century Virginian farmstead.
As CEO of Gordonsville Preservation Associates, Jacqueline has led the transformation of the center of this historic town. She has also worked jointly with Nicole Yancey to help establish a Sister City program between Gordonsville and Thoré-la-Rochette (the village of Rochambeau). She has continued to participate in the Alliance Française of Charlottesville, and has hosted several major events, including a joint fund-raiser with the English Club in commemoration of the Battle of Yorktown, with attendees including descendants of Washington, Saint-Simon, Cornwallis and Rochambeau!
Living near Montpelier, home of James Madison, she and her husband have established the Gupton
Library there, and she has also assisted the Montpelier staff in the translation of French documents and in purchasing furniture in Paris identical to that owned by the Madison family.
Finally, and most importantly, Jacqueline is a mother of two and grandmother of four, all of whom, together with her dogs and cats, are completely bilingual!