Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State

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Hughes: I read that you, and I think Dan, too, are both people who like to read in bed and stay up late. Evans: Yes. Still. I cannot go to bed and turn off the light. Hughes: Are you reading a book or are you watching Jay Leno? Evans: Usually the TV isn’t even on. We read and do New York Times puzzles, or Sudoku. Hughes: Were there a lot of times during those 12 years he was governor that Dan would come home and say, “You’re not going to believe what they did to me today”? Evans: Well, yeah, occasionally, sure. Sometimes we’d have those discussions – not necessarily in bed. Hughes: What time were you getting up in the morning if you’re staying up late? Evans: Fairly early because the kids went to school. Hughes: I found out that you are a good writer. Evans: No, I’m not! Hughes: Well, in 1966 you wrote a really good piece for Puget Soundings, whatever that was. Evans: Oh, that was sort of an eight-page paper, a weekly. And it was like what you might find on the Internet today – like “ Crosscut,” which I subscribe to. Hughes: Well, I thought you wrote a really good piece for Puget Soundings. It says, “When asked what it was like to be the wife of the governor, I used to reply that it’s really no different than being the wife of any man. I now have changed my answer and say that it’s really no different than being the wife of any hard-working, never home, usually tired, sometimes depressed, responsibility-laden man. And I have no doubt that in these modern times most wives would include themselves in that that same category.” And then there’s this wonderful story you tell: “Almost every morning when my husband is breakfasting with our two sons and is about to leave for the Capitol, our youngest son Mark, who is two-anda-half, asks, ‘Are you going to the capitol daddy?’ And Dan replies, ‘Yes.’ Knowing that the next question will be, ‘Are you coming back daddy?’ It sounds a little fatalistic, but I’m sure it must seem to Mark that his daddy does not come back for many days, as often he does not return until long after the boys are in bed. And sometimes, of course, he does not return for several days. And then I think, ‘What a shame he can’t spend more time with 100
his father.’ Only to be caught short as I’m preparing to go somewhere and Mark asks me, ‘Are you coming home mommy?’” Evans: Aaahhhh. (smiles at the memory) Hughes: And you said, “Don’t tell me I’m gone that much, too.” Evans: We’re going back east to visit Mark and Bruce in a couple weeks and I should take that back. Mark works in Boston. His wife did too when she was working. And he’s an hour plus each way, on the train. And then he drives from the station home. And he gets home at 7:30, 8, 8:30, always. And I should remind him of that. He’s repeating (what his A cartoon from the 1960s. Washington State Library father and mother did). Hughes: Tell us about that first big trip that you took on your own. If I recall correctly the Legislature was in overtime in 1965 and Dan couldn’t get away to go. Evans: It was a wonderful trip, but I didn’t want to go alone. It was a trade mission to Asia, and it had been planned for some time. I think the planning started with Governor Rosellini because you have to notify the countries you’re visiting, and all that. It takes a lot of time. And we had both planned to go. My brother, Bill, at that time was working with the State Department of Commerce. So he was going too. And he was taking his wife, Tina, my sister-in-law. We were like sisters. And we also took Mother. We paid for that. We knew it would be a treat for her. And Dan’s parents came down to Olympia to the Mansion to stay with the kids. Dan couldn’t go because the Legislature just wouldn’t 101
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Nancy Evans Research by John C. Hug
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certificate says Nancy Ann Bell, wh
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England family. There were a lot of
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Evans: Yes. My father’s mother wa
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Evans: Well, I was a spoiled brat.
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wartime. So that was a severe blow
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Madrigal Singers. I played the pian
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ecause she could say no. So I think
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had two grand pianos as well as the
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ecause he wasn’t waiting for me.
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and then I came. When I competed fo
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out of college, living with all the
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Christmas program. That was just a
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Hughes: What was your first impress
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in Vancouver. They were very Britis
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Evans: Dan tells this story wonderf
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Hughes: I’ve never met Sally Gort
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number of times but it’s still so
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SAS nonstop. You could have 40 poun
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Evans: No. I can’t. I think he wo
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Evans: Uh-huh. Hughes: Is that the
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Evans: That’s right. And lost. Bu
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Hughes: As things went along, were
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Hughes: Barry Goldwater may have be
Page 50 and 51: Hughes: Did you really find that pe
Page 52 and 53: Hughes: That’s funny. And then th
Page 54 and 55: Evans: Well, I used to always say t
Page 56 and 57: Evans: Yes, pronounced “Poe-gi.
Page 58 and 59: we’re sitting in the drawing room
Page 60 and 61: cabinet wives - the wives of the ca
Page 62 and 63: Evans: Well, Elsie was one. She was
Page 64 and 65: Evans: Yes. And in fact I remember
Page 66 and 67: governor was supposed to arrive at
Page 68 and 69: pointed two pillows for us that are
Page 70 and 71: dog, “Peggy! Peggy! Come here, Pe
Page 72 and 73: een assassinated. So there was a ne
Page 74 and 75: Hughes: I’m told that the chief h
Page 76 and 77: Hughes: Was Neil McReynolds the gov
Page 78 and 79: carpet layer. I was standing there,
Page 80 and 81: just all the time because we were l
Page 82 and 83: Nelsen was his name. We hired him a
Page 84 and 85: Hughes: Nancy didn’t go along? Ev
Page 86 and 87: The Governor’s Foundation wanted
Page 88 and 89: ecome “senior” now to separate
Page 90 and 91: a trundle underneath, so three bunk
Page 92 and 93: sort of stabbed at it and tried to
Page 94 and 95: whole thing. I remember I was very
Page 96 and 97: Hughes: I bet that made a big hit.
Page 98 and 99: They had been put to bed but they w
Page 102 and 103: adjourn. I was young and had never
Page 104 and 105: at the hotel and said, “Do you ha
Page 106 and 107: chickens. We don’t like whole chi
Page 108 and 109: good causes. I couldn’t believe t
Page 110 and 111: never left your eyes. Paul Newman w
Page 112 and 113: go back to Dan for a few seconds, b
Page 114 and 115: Evans: And we don’t carry that ma
Page 116 and 117: told me that on the first trip he e
Page 118 and 119: people. Never. Dan had worked quite
Page 120 and 121: Nancy plays the piano for a sing-a-
Page 122 and 123: Evans: No. It was organized (in 196
Page 124 and 125: inauguration of President Obama. Th
Page 126 and 127: this cute little guy. Then we start
Page 128 and 129: Evans: No. But we met her and Princ
Page 130 and 131: the way Pickleball started. The sto
Page 132 and 133: Evans: Pretty much. I would hope th
Page 134 and 135: the library, which used to be a lit
Page 136 and 137: told this story that Jean Gardner c
Page 138 and 139: Evans: A bit out of the norm. So I
Page 140 and 141: then sort of a Van Dyke, and finall
Page 142 and 143: Hughes: Tell me about that. Evans:
Page 144 and 145: Hughes: Tell us about any other tri
Page 146 and 147: aquavit, which was terrible. And th
Page 148 and 149: I remember I was standing in the fr
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early. Well, when Dan was a freshma
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time.” Finally he decided to do i
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and put him on the plane for his ju
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president of the college. He just d
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Evans: Yes. I know he likes and res
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Heffernan: The other question I hav
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He hooked up with a lot of Australi
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think very well. So it was a huge l
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first of January. Then after some l
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But I got the rental furniture deli
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was very interesting. And he always
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Evans: Yes, we did. Hughes: Did you
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So we enjoyed all of that. But when
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was all decorated with very, very c
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me again. But that was my daily wal
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Hughes: You bought a house, tore it
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away after building your first-ever
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had good friends, Sherman and Nouch
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Evans: Yes. And “What about my ch
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learned he was coming to Seattle to
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the fire is lit, the cookies and mi
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very successful and it’s a separa
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Sheppard and she attended the UW. I
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over here. Celia, being a mother, w
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Evans: So they didn’t have to wor
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Hughes: You have always been pretty
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that he’s always easy, but he is
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“Crosscut” 100 Crystal Mountain
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Minnesota 12 Minow, Newt 187 Minto,
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Wallgren, Monrad 2 Washington, D.C.
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Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State

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