Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State

in Vancouver. They were very British, very proper, but just wonderful. And then we came
home to Seattle – came back to my apartment. And Dan said, “Well, let’s go for a walk.”
And I thought, “Well, OK, Sunday night.” So we walked up to the Laurelhurst playfield,
which is just three blocks from here, and not far from where I was living at the time. There
was a bench up there, and we sat on the bench, and he proposed. On Saturday night of
the week preceding, I had been proposed to by another man on that same bench.
Hughes: So you were seriously dating a couple of guys at the same time?
Evans: Yes, I had several proposals of marriage.
Hughes: What did you tell the other guy when he popped the question?
Evans: I could hardly keep a straight face. And it’s terrible to say, we can laugh about it
now, but at the time it was a very heartfelt proposal. It was very sweet. And not just brief.
It went on and on, and it was just lovely. But I immediately told him no.
Hughes: I bet you handled that really diplomatically.
Evans: I did. Well, I hope I did. We were young and good friends. But then when Dan
proposed a week later all I could think of was the week before. (laughing) And I was so
stunned because I really had not expected it. I just couldn’t say yes right then. Isn’t that
silly?
Hughes: What was Dan’s reaction? Was he crestfallen?
Evans: I’m sure he was very disappointed. But I said, “Well, I’ve just got to think about it.
Give me three days.” We walked back down to my place, and he said goodnight and went
to his apartment. I think it was probably the next night that I called my mother, which was
pretty silly because they had never met him. I said, “Dan proposed.” My sister Barbara had
met him, of course, because she’d been up to Victoria with us. And they liked him a lot. I
said to my mother, “I don’t know what to do!” And Mother started laughing. And that really
was an insult to me. I was very upset at the time. I said, “Mother, don’t laugh. It’s serious.”
And she said, “Well, of course it is. I’m laughing because how can I tell you what to do?”
Hughes: I like Mother enormously.
Evans: Very wise person. So she was no help. I just had to assimilate the whole idea, I
guess. Then Dan came over Wednesday night and I said, “Yes.” And I knew, you know, it
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