Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State

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was all decorated with very, very contemporary artwork. Rocky’s artwork was everywhere. It was just a museum in its way. And then you came when the Bushes were there and it was all the comfortable, lovely chintz. And artwork as well, but it was more of a home. You knew they lived there. Editor’s Note: The Vice Presidential Residence is a three-story Victorian-style mansion originally built in 1893 as the home of the superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory. It’s about a mile northeast of Georgetown University. So we were sitting there and having a drink and George and Dan were together across from us. Barbara and I were on a little loveseat together. We were chatting away and having a very pleasant conversation. One of their sons was visiting with his wife at the time. And they came down and joined us. Hughes: It wasn’t “W,” though? (The future president George W. Bush.) Evans: No, no, no. We had two martinis, and I’m looking at my watch. I knew we needed to go because they were going to want to eat dinner, and we wanted to eat dinner. So finally I got Dan’s eye and we got up and we left. Dan was chuckling on the way home. And I said, “What are you chuckling at?” He said, “Well, I sat there and I was listening to you and Barbara. And you were talking about abortion. And then you were talking about this, and you were talking about that. And George and I weren’t discussing things of importance.” Hughes: Your husband was listening to you instead of the vice president. Evans: And Dan said, “We didn’t discuss much. And he never asked for my support.” Hughes: That’s funny. Who ran against George H.W. Bush for the GOP nomination in 1988? Evans: Bob Dole was the primary opponent. He was the Senate minority leader and Dan’s colleague. Editor’s Note: Besides Robert Dole, Bush prevailed over Jack Kemp, Alexander Haig, Paul Laxalt, Donald Rumsfeld and the perennial Harold Stassen. Hughes: And Bush went on to beat Dukakis. Poor hapless Mike was running around in a tank with that silly hat on his head. Evans: Yeah, that helmet. Unfortunately for him. We knew him when he was Massachusetts governor. Very nice person. I liked him. Nice wife. 176
Hughes: So now it’s 1989. You’re leaving the Senate, coming home to the real Washington. Evans: We are. We came home, and then where do we live? Once again we’re without a house. Hughes: The nomads. Evans: But my brother had this summer home on Bainbridge where we had spent a lot of time when he was living in the East. We asked him if we could rent it. And he was happy to have us rent it. And we said, “You can come and visit…” So that was great. We drove our car across the country and I went to places I’d never been to before. Hughes: Tell me about that. Evans: It was a lovely trip. But wait – After Dan left the Senate we went to Harvard for a semester. He was a fellow at the Kennedy School of Government. Hughes: That must have been fascinating. Evans: It was fun. It was great. We lived in the business graduate school housing, which was sort of newer housing. We were back to that old bit of two frying pans, two pots… Hughes: The Tupperware is coming out again. You’re like grad-school students. Evans: A living room with a sofa and two chairs and the coffee table. But it was just great. Dan would go off to the school to do his thing and I could do mine. They had a dinner every Tuesday night, I believe it was, and the faculty would come. It was not a huge dinner, just around a big long table. They would have different speakers. Oftentimes they would have a program, too, and we would go from the dinner to the program. We met and heard some interesting people. Dan enjoyed that. And I just took classes. I audited classes. I had never spent much time back there; certainly not in the winter time. Now, of course, I have a son who lives there and we’ve been back there at Christmastime and what have you. But it’s cold back there. So every morning, my first class was probably at nine. Dan would go off to his classes, and I would put on my boots, my wool coat – that I bought in D.C. because it was cold, and which I still have because I wear it maybe once a year here — my scarf, my gloves and my hat. I’d pick up my books and off I would trudge – a college student all over again. You go across the snowy grass, and over the Charles River. And the wind would always just be blowing there. Then there is another river overpass and the wind would hit 177
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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
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Hughes: I bet that made a big hit.
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They had been put to bed but they w
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Hughes: I read that you, and I thin
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adjourn. I was young and had never
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at the hotel and said, “Do you ha
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chickens. We don’t like whole chi
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good causes. I couldn’t believe t
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never left your eyes. Paul Newman w
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go back to Dan for a few seconds, b
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Evans: And we don’t carry that ma
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told me that on the first trip he e
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people. Never. Dan had worked quite
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Nancy plays the piano for a sing-a-
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Evans: No. It was organized (in 196
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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
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 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
Page 196 and 197: over here. Celia, being a mother, w
Page 198 and 199: Evans: So they didn’t have to wor
Page 200 and 201: Hughes: You have always been pretty
Page 202 and 203: that he’s always easy, but he is
Page 204 and 205: “Crosscut” 100 Crystal Mountain
Page 206 and 207: Minnesota 12 Minow, Newt 187 Minto,
Page 208: Wallgren, Monrad 2 Washington, D.C.
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Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State

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