Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State

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Hughes: What was your first impression of Dan Evans? Evans: My first impression was that he was a very nice person; very good looking; very quiet, and shy. Hughes: So all the things they’ve written over the years about Dan Evans being fundamentally shy— Evans: Absolutely true. He was very shy. As we started going out, there was something obviously there right away, but nothing that just really turned me on. It was just that I liked him. But every time I went out with him I learned something knew about him. He was not one of these people who just came on the first time and you learned it all. I found that very intriguing at the time. I loved everything I learned. He already had done a lot of interesting things. He was an engineer, interested in politics, athletic, very competitive. He even won some sort of a prize in Toastmasters, which he joined to improve his speaking ability. And he had been with the Junior Chamber of Commerce, did the Boy Scout thing and served in the Navy. There were all these things that he’d done. He’d had all these experiences. But I learned about them over a period of time, which was very nice. Hughes: Was he different than the other guys you’d been serious about? Evans: Well, yes and no. He was a little older. Most of the others had been more my age, and he had more experiences, like the war and what have you. And every time I went out with him I liked him more. So it worked out very nicely. Hughes: That’s an understatement. Did you meet Dan’s folks early on? Evans: Yes, because at that time I was living in an apartment not far from here (the Evans present home) in Laurelhurst with a college friend. And his parents lived several blocks away. Dan had a wooden boat and we enjoyed racing it on Wednesday evenings and in Puget Sound on some weekends. I learned to love sailing. And we would often go over to his house and sometimes have dinner. Hughes: What were his folks like? Evans: Oh, they were wonderful people. Wonderful people. Dan’s father, Les, was very quiet but very nice. He was an engineer, too. Dan looks like his father. Dan’s brother, 28
several of his nephews and two of ours sons have just the same sort of angular face. Dan’s mother, Irma, was just the most loving person I’ve ever known. She loved her three sons. Dan was the oldest. She loved her family and she would do anything for anybody. Dan didn’t date a lot. That shyness carried through. And he’s a little more serious than your average guy. His father was serious, too. So I think Irma was just delighted he was dating. It didn’t matter what the girl was like. (laughing) Hughes: So Irma and Nancy hit it off? Evans: Oh, she loved it that we were dating. Hughes: Right away did you get the feeling that you were approved of? Evans: Immediately. Hughes: How long did it take for Dan and Nancy to get serious? Evans: Well, I think it was in January that we met, and then we were engaged on October 28 th , 1958. And married the following June. Hughes: How did Dan Evans ask Nancy Bell to marry him? Evans: My sister Barbara and her husband were going to Victoria for a conference of some sort. That’s Bill Ludders, the brother-in-law I loved at 11 years old. Barbara had invited me to go along. And I said, “Well, can Dan come along, too?” because we were dating at that time. And she said, “Yes, that’s great.” So they were up there ahead of time and staying at the wonderful old Empress Hotel. And I still remember very well that when we arrived we met Barbara and Bill and went to register. I still remember standing there at the desk embarrassed for my oldest sister, whom I loved because she really helped raise me. She’s saying, “Now my husband and I had this room, but now we want to change. I’m going to be staying with my sister in this room. And this young man is staying with my husband in the other room.” Well, that’s the way it was. But she didn’t have to go into detail! Hughes: Too much information! Evans: Too much information. But we had a wonderful time. I remember the Parliament Building was all lit up at night. It was a very lovely trip. We went to visit this lovely couple, Dr. and Mrs. Murphy, who lived in this lovely home, sort of like the Highlands of Victoria – beautiful big old homes. They had been friends of my parents when they lived 29
Page 2 and 3: Nancy Evans Research by John C. Hug
Page 4 and 5: certificate says Nancy Ann Bell, wh
Page 6 and 7: England family. There were a lot of
Page 8 and 9: Evans: Yes. My father’s mother wa
Page 10 and 11: Evans: Well, I was a spoiled brat.
Page 12 and 13: wartime. So that was a severe blow
Page 14 and 15: Madrigal Singers. I played the pian
Page 16 and 17: ecause she could say no. So I think
Page 18 and 19: had two grand pianos as well as the
Page 20 and 21: ecause he wasn’t waiting for me.
Page 22 and 23: and then I came. When I competed fo
Page 24 and 25: out of college, living with all the
Page 26 and 27: Christmas program. That was just a
Page 30 and 31: in Vancouver. They were very Britis
Page 32 and 33: Evans: Dan tells this story wonderf
Page 34 and 35: Hughes: I’ve never met Sally Gort
Page 36 and 37: number of times but it’s still so
Page 38 and 39: SAS nonstop. You could have 40 poun
Page 40 and 41: Evans: No. I can’t. I think he wo
Page 42 and 43: Evans: Uh-huh. Hughes: Is that the
Page 44 and 45: Evans: That’s right. And lost. Bu
Page 46 and 47: Hughes: As things went along, were
Page 48 and 49: Hughes: Barry Goldwater may have be
Page 50 and 51: Hughes: Did you really find that pe
Page 52 and 53: Hughes: That’s funny. And then th
Page 54 and 55: Evans: Well, I used to always say t
Page 56 and 57: Evans: Yes, pronounced “Poe-gi.
Page 58 and 59: we’re sitting in the drawing room
Page 60 and 61: cabinet wives - the wives of the ca
Page 62 and 63: Evans: Well, Elsie was one. She was
Page 64 and 65: Evans: Yes. And in fact I remember
Page 66 and 67: governor was supposed to arrive at
Page 68 and 69: pointed two pillows for us that are
Page 70 and 71: dog, “Peggy! Peggy! Come here, Pe
Page 72 and 73: een assassinated. So there was a ne
Page 74 and 75: Hughes: I’m told that the chief h
Page 76 and 77: Hughes: Was Neil McReynolds the gov
Page 78 and 79:
carpet layer. I was standing there,
Page 80 and 81:
just all the time because we were l
Page 82 and 83:
Nelsen was his name. We hired him a
Page 84 and 85:
Hughes: Nancy didn’t go along? Ev
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The Governor’s Foundation wanted
Page 88 and 89:
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
Page 108 and 109:
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
Page 114 and 115:
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
Page 120 and 121:
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
Page 128 and 129:
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
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then sort of a Van Dyke, and finall
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Hughes: Tell me about that. Evans:
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Hughes: Tell us about any other tri
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aquavit, which was terrible. And th
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I remember I was standing in the fr
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early. Well, when Dan was a freshma
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time.” Finally he decided to do i
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and put him on the plane for his ju
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president of the college. He just d
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Evans: Yes. I know he likes and res
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Heffernan: The other question I hav
Page 162 and 163:
He hooked up with a lot of Australi
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think very well. So it was a huge l
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first of January. Then after some l
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But I got the rental furniture deli
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was very interesting. And he always
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Evans: Yes, we did. Hughes: Did you
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So we enjoyed all of that. But when
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was all decorated with very, very c
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me again. But that was my daily wal
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Hughes: You bought a house, tore it
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away after building your first-ever
Page 184 and 185:
had good friends, Sherman and Nouch
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Evans: Yes. And “What about my ch
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learned he was coming to Seattle to
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the fire is lit, the cookies and mi
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very successful and it’s a separa
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Sheppard and she attended the UW. I
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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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