Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State

told this story that Jean Gardner came down the stairs one day and there was a bat hanging
off the chandelier. She screamed, “ Booth, do something!” And he says, “I’ll go get a cadet.”
Evans: That’s a true story!
Hughes: She wanted him to do the manly, hairy-chested thing – swat the bat for her. But a
good manager delegates.
Evans: I remember it was in the spring of 1965 and we had a dinner party. It was my first
sort of real dinner party with friends, including Bill and Tina, my brother and his wife, who
came down and other friends from Seattle, maybe 10 or 12 of us. And I’m standing in
front of the fireplace because the fire is going and it feels good. Everybody is happy and
I’m thinking, “This is really fun.” And I look right through the hall and I see something flying
around the ballroom. So I went quietly over to Dan and said, “I think there’s a bird in the
ballroom.” One by one we sort of went in there. Well, it was obvious it was not a bird. Pretty
soon, all of our friends have brooms or mops or something and were trying to swat it away.
Hughes: Gary and Mona Locke had nine bats in 13 days. You never had anything like that,
did you?
Evans: Well, we had a lot. It’s seasonal. They would come and do their thing, and then
they’d leave. They’re very important to have because they eat all those bugs, but I did not
like bats.
Hughes: Among the fellows who volunteer to do research with us is one who is an aficionado
of furniture, and he says there’s some really lovely Duncan Phyfe furniture in the Mansion.
Evans: Yes, the piano.
Hughes: The Steinway has Duncan Phyfe legs?
Evans: No, the piano in the drawing room is Duncan Phyfe. And the sofas —one is a
Sheraton and one’s a Phyfe.
Hughes: That’s some really valuable, wonderful stuff, and all that was donated?
Evans: Well, purchased with donated funds.
Hughes: Do you have any idea, when things really got going with the Foundation, what
kind of war chest they had for acquisitions? – What some of those really nice pieces would
have cost?
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