Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State

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aquavit, which was terrible. And that was a briefer trip. The Alaska Airlines to the Soviet Union was a longer trip, a couple weeks. Hughes: Have you seen pictures of Warren Magnuson when he was a young man? Evans: Good looking. He was a dashing bachelor for many years. Hughes: I read a book about JFK that said the only politician who rivaled JFK for the ladies was Warren G. Magnuson. Evans: Oh yes. He was very charming. Hughes: And, meanwhile, Scoop Jackson was Mr. Square. Evans: Scoop was a Scandinavian, very quiet. Hughes: So, let’s get back to 1977: You’re getting ready to move. You got the Mansion fixed up and filled with lovely furniture. Dan’s made his decision; he’s teary eyed. You’re both looking at your scrapbooks. And it’s time to go. When did Dan get the overture to become president of The Evergreen State College? In one of the articles written around this time, you said you thought a college job would be really great, that it would really suit Dan because he is “a great teacher.” Evans: Well, over the years he had often spoken to classrooms or groups of young people from kindergarten on up. He loves kids. When we’re standing in line somewhere, at the grocery store or whatever, and there’s a child around, he’ll talk to that child and try to get him to smile. Hughes: So this guy is not really as shy as he’s cracked up to be? Evans: Well, he’s always liked children. And I’ve always thought he was extremely good at explaining things to classrooms or groups of young people without talking down to them. Hughes: Another thing that shows you have really good instincts: The guy you decided to marry turned out to be a great dad as well. Evans: Oh, a wonderful dad. So I always thought that maybe he would enjoy teaching. Not in engineering because he was passé by then. So that was in the back of my mind, not knowing what he would do or what he wanted to do. Hughes: Were there other opportunities that came along about that time, other offers? Evans: There were. There were all sorts of offers. But I think the Evergreen presidency was 146
especially appealing since he had been involved with the college from its inception. Dan thought it was a wonderful institution, but it was having difficulties – a lot of difficulties then because of the legislators. Many of them did not think it had been worth the money, and did not like what they were doing there. I remember one time when he was president, I was somewhere where there was this discussion going on. And they would say, “But look at the way they dress. And they all have dogs.” And I said, “When was the last time you were at the University of Washington?” “Well, I haven’t been there…” “Well, go over there sometime and see what the kids look like, and whether they have dogs,” because, of course, they did. So I think Dan’s choice of becoming president of Evergreen was very timely because he had the presence and the stature with the legislators to try and convince them that this was a worthwhile school, a good enterprise, and something that was good for the state and good for education. Then of course some student would do something dumb. Hughes: Sure. Some hippie kid. Evans: And they’d go back 10 years. But over those years there was more and more acceptance by the Legislature and by the community. Hughes: When my oldest daughter was at Swarthmore, people kept coming up to her and saying, “Do you know about Evergreen? Why would you come here?” Evans: We had lots of applicants from the East. (Addressing Legacy Project Coordinator Lori Larson, an Evergreen graduate) I don’t know if you would agree with me on this, but I think to go to Evergreen you have to be a little more mature and sort of know what you want to do. Lori Larson: You really do. You have to take care of your own education, be responsible. Evans: Exactly. You have to organize it and be resourceful. So a lot of those kids from the East would come out here and loved it at Evergreen. Hughes: Before we leave the Governor’s Mansion that you’ve done so much to resuscitate, did you have one final nostalgic candlelight dinner or anything there, the whole family? Evans: No, it was just too hectic to do that. But I did have one night by myself there. I was back just checking to make sure we had gotten everything, personal belongings. And 147
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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
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Hughes: Did you really find that pe
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Hughes: That’s funny. And then th
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Evans: Well, I used to always say t
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Evans: Yes, pronounced “Poe-gi.
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we’re sitting in the drawing room
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cabinet wives - the wives of the ca
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Evans: Well, Elsie was one. She was
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Evans: Yes. And in fact I remember
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governor was supposed to arrive at
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pointed two pillows for us that are
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dog, “Peggy! Peggy! Come here, Pe
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een assassinated. So there was a ne
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Hughes: I’m told that the chief h
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Hughes: Was Neil McReynolds the gov
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carpet layer. I was standing there,
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just all the time because we were l
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Nelsen was his name. We hired him a
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Hughes: Nancy didn’t go along? Ev
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The Governor’s Foundation wanted
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ecome “senior” now to separate
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a trundle underneath, so three bunk
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sort of stabbed at it and tried to
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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 100 and 101: Hughes: I read that you, and I thin
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 148 and 149: I remember I was standing in the fr
Page 150 and 151: early. Well, when Dan was a freshma
Page 152 and 153: time.” Finally he decided to do i
Page 154 and 155: and put him on the plane for his ju
Page 156 and 157: president of the college. He just d
Page 158 and 159: Evans: Yes. I know he likes and res
Page 160 and 161: Heffernan: The other question I hav
Page 162 and 163: He hooked up with a lot of Australi
Page 164 and 165: think very well. So it was a huge l
Page 166 and 167: first of January. Then after some l
Page 168 and 169: But I got the rental furniture deli
Page 170 and 171: was very interesting. And he always
Page 172 and 173: Evans: Yes, we did. Hughes: Did you
Page 174 and 175: So we enjoyed all of that. But when
Page 176 and 177: was all decorated with very, very c
Page 178 and 179: me again. But that was my daily wal
Page 180 and 181: Hughes: You bought a house, tore it
Page 182 and 183: away after building your first-ever
Page 184 and 185: had good friends, Sherman and Nouch
Page 186 and 187: Evans: Yes. And “What about my ch
Page 188 and 189: learned he was coming to Seattle to
Page 190 and 191: the fire is lit, the cookies and mi
Page 192 and 193: very successful and it’s a separa
Page 194 and 195: 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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