Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State

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the fire is lit, the cookies and milk are gone, and the camera is ready. “Now, get in line – Line up by height.” Dan is yelling through the closed doors, and on and on. And the kids, of course, were just going nuts. And so we have years and years and years of this lineup coming in dutifully and immediately going to the socks, of course, and then the chaos of opening presents. Besides movies, we’ve got all these slides. Hughes: There’s a gizmo you can get that scans your slides right into Photoshop. Evans: Yes. We thought about getting one but he just doesn’t have the time. Someday I’m hoping he’ll have time to really work on that sort of thing because he understands it all. And we have just tons of photos and pictures. Hughes: Dan obviously is enjoying himself and staying active. But don’t you kind of wish he was in there in his study, finishing his book? Evans: That is first and foremost in both our minds. Hughes: The Parkinson’s Foundation. Tell us how that evolved. Evans: It evolved because my brother Bill’s former wife, Tina, developed Parkinson’s. Tina was living here in Seattle. And it became more and more difficult. There weren’t a lot of doctors who were specializing in that sort of disease. It was just a lot to learn. Bill Bell III, my nephew, had a friend, Craig Howard, whose mother also had Parkinson’s. So the two of them dreamed up the idea of forming a foundation mostly to provide help, better education about the disease and ways to alleviate the symptoms, sort of like Cancer Lifeline, and to try to improve the medical scene in Seattle for Parkinson’s patients. And of course they came to Dan and me. Hughes: What year was that, Nancy? Evans: Oh, ’94 maybe. They wanted our support and for advice. We immediately said we would certainly support it, and we became members of the board. Then they went to the hospitals – to the UW, to Swedish … different hospitals trying to forge a partnership and build a specialty in Parkinson’s and other movement disorders and diseases. Sometimes there was no interest; sometimes there was interest and no funds, mostly. They wanted to see if they could raise funds to help put it all together. Eventually they hooked up with Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland. It’s a good hospital. They were interested, and they had 190
space for growth. So we really had to carefully work out the finances – a big undertaking. Hughes: Was Booth Gardner involved in that as well? Evans: Not initially. But soon thereafter he was. And the center is named after Booth. It’s the Booth Gardner Parkinson’s Center. We brought in some physicians and therapists who were specializing in the disease and looking at new ways to treat Parkinson’s. Hughes: It’s a tricky disease, lots of different manifestations. Evans: That’s exactly right. And the meds are not the same for everybody. So it’s been quite successful, and the hospital is actually making money. Now the Foundation has newsletters that go to Alaska, Montana… They’ve flown to Alaska, flown to Idaho – places where there are no facilities nearby, and had talks. People suffering from Parkinson’s come from all over. They’ve had seminars twice now down by the airport. People came from California – all over. They had an all-day session with different specialists talking about all aspects of the disease. So it’s been a wonderful, very positive thing that these two kids ( Bill and Craig) – did. Hughes: Are you still involved in that? Evans: Well, not on the board. Neither of us had the time and we weren’t able to do that, but we’re still writing checks and we get the newsletter. We keep up with what’s going on. Hughes: Tell me about the department at the UW Dan Evans School of Public Affairs that was named in your honor. Evans: Well, that was a huge surprise to me. It’s the Nancy Bell Evans Center on Nonprofits & Philanthropy. They bring in speakers and have forums on philanthropy and the various issues involved – How to run a board, not how to raise money so much, but how to achieve transparency in governance and related challenges. Hughes: When did they spring that surprise on you? Evans: 2004. Hughes: That’s really a great idea because a lot of people get involved in nonprofits with little knowledge. Yesterday you talked about “fiduciary” responsibilities. It’s an important issue. Evans: That’s right. And it’s for staff too, the people running agencies like that. It’s been 191
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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
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this cute little guy. Then we start
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Evans: No. But we met her and Princ
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the way Pickleball started. The sto
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Evans: Pretty much. I would hope th
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the library, which used to be a lit
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told this story that Jean Gardner c
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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 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 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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