Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State

Evans: Yes, although we paid for part of that.
Hughes: Your spouse told me he thought you did an amazing job of running the “wretchedly
decrepit” old Mansion. He was very praiseworthy of the job you did managing the place.
Evans: He better be! (smiling) But if I were to do it all over I would be so much more wise.
Even 20 years ago I would have been so much wiser. But at the time I was not very wise
about these things. And there was a very small budget.
Hughes: Over the dinner table or over pillow talk did you say, “This budget is ridiculous”
and talk about cooks?
Evans: Well, it just sort of became a running joke, quite honestly. When we found some
people who were good and fun to be around and could put up with our family, then things
ran quite smoothly and quite nicely. …
Hughes: Was there a kitchen where you and your mom could do cooking?
Evans: There was only one kitchen.
Hughes: One kitchen.
Evans: Yes. Today, it’s greatly expanded and modernized.
Hughes: OK, let’s make sure I’ve got this floor plan down during your era there: First floor,
kitchen, State Dining Room, ballroom, the library, drawing room. Second floor is—
Evans: Bedrooms and bathrooms and a very small sitting room for the family.
Hughes: Third floor was the servants’ quarters. But there’s only one kitchen. You didn’t
even have a hot plate so you could …?
Evans: No. When Bruce was a baby it was sort of a pain in the neck to in all hours of the
night run downstairs and turn on the water to heat a bottle.
Hughes: Especially when the plumbing wasn’t working well.
Evans: All that aside. It’s sort of a long way down from our bedroom to the kitchen. And
I remember that Ralph Davis, the chairman of Puget Sound Power & Light, sent me a
hotplate, (laughing) which I used to heat the bottle.
Hughes: But typically would the cook be cooking dinner for the Evans family? You always
tried to have dinner together?
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