Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State

Evans: Yes, we did.
Hughes: Did you form any impressions that have stuck with you as this eternal strife goes
on?
Evans: It certainly is eternal, isn’t it? We had a wonderful trip there that was hosted by
a Jewish friend in Seattle. So he and his wife and daughter and son-in-law and Dan and I
went. But Dan had told them up front, “This is a very nice offer, and I would like to do that,
but if I do, I want to tell you that I’m not going to just visit Israel. I’m going to visit some
other countries because I have to be fair.” That was fine, so we did. It’s such a wonderful
place to visit because of all the history that is still in existence there – to visit the churches
and the temples. We happened to be there on Easter, and that was very compelling. …
There’s this one church where three religions converge.
Hughes: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Evans: And so there were three services. We were there that morning. It was just a mob
scene. And to me it was, frankly, so unspiritual. I’m not a real spiritual person, but it was
very spiritual to the other people who were there. It was old and musty but it was a
marvelous atmosphere. And then bells clang, or something, and those worshipers leave
and the next group comes in. It was fascinating. That was a marvelous trip because we
learned a lot and developed great appreciation for the struggles they have. But it does
seem that somehow, sometime, somebody has to figure out that they can’t just keep firing
back and forth at each other and actually win anything.
Hughes: You immediately empathized with Dan’s bright young aide when she was
excluded. Being a young woman with progressive views, and coming of age when you did,
did you meet emerging female politicians — Jennifer Dunn, for instance — women who
really impressed you?
Evans: Jennifer did a good job. She worked hard. Very nice person; died much too young.
(Editor’s Note: The former State Republican Party chairwoman and congresswoman
from Seattle died at the age of 66 in 2007.)
Hughes: Have you had a chance to talk with any of the many successful young women in
public life today like Chris Gregoire, Patty Murray, Maria Cantwell, Congresswoman Cathy
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