Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State

Evans: Uh-huh.
Hughes: Is that the right word – “shy”?
Evans: Today it isn’t, but at that time it was. Today it’s not shy, it’s just his nature. And it
was his father’s nature. He’s just not an outgoing type of person. He likes people. It’s not
that. It’s just his nature.
Hughes: I’ve noticed the gradual change since I first met him 40 years ago. He seemed to be
more outgoing, more voluble when he became president of The Evergreen State College in
1977 than when he was governor. I always sort of intuited that besides really enjoying that
job, he picked up some energy from being around the students and the faculty.
Evans: Maybe I was too close to him. I don’t know that. But in the beginning, campaigning
was not easy for him. You go into a room with a lot of people you don’t know. He just
couldn’t go around and say hello easily. And I could do it a little more easily, for some reason.
Hughes: Did you find that after your initial anxieties it was fun?
Evans: I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed
the campaigns, although they were
extremely tiring and sometimes hard
on family life. And I always gained
weight. You go to all those coffees
where they have all those special
things that the host just baked.
Hughes: And it would be really rude
unless you ate them.
Evans: I don’t even eat sweets
Nancy at a Republican reception. Washington State Archives
much now, but in those days I
certainly did. And I would come home saying, “Why did I eat that?” But there were certain
communities around the state, as we got into it each time, where you made really nice
friends.
Hughes: Tell me about that.
Evans: Well, just different communities that you just like, where you feel welcomed. I
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