Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State

Evans: Yes. And in fact I remember
when Bruce was born (in 1966) in
those days they had little plastic
seats to carry around a baby. They
were just sort of an L-shape with
a leg — nothing like the car seats
they have today. Bruce sat in his
little portable seat in the middle of
the dining room table in the State
Dining Room. That’s where we ate
The dining room at the Mansion. Washington State Archives
every night because there was no other dining room. And he was the centerpiece on the
table at night! We would try to hold dinner until Dan got home, so we could all eat together.
Hughes: What time was that?
Evans: Often it was 7, and for little kids that’s late. I can remember one of the boys when
he was in grade school, maybe even later, said to me, “Why can’t we eat dinner at 6 like all
the rest?” But Mother and I tried to make things as routine as possible. We tried to have
dinner together.
Hughes: Did you have a key role in planning the menus?
Evans: Oh yes, absolutely.
Hughes: What was the favorite dinner at the Evans household?
Evans: I don’t think we had a favorite because we simply liked food. We ate a lot of foods.
Elsie made wonderful cheese soufflés. I would find recipes and give them to the cook to try.
Hughes: Someone had a nickname. Who was “Lolo”? Was that Lorna, the housekeeper?
Evans: No. Lolo was a babysitter, a wonderful woman who baby sat the boys when Mother
couldn’t. Lolo had babysat for Sally and Slade Gorton during legislative sessions. That’s
what Sally’s kids, I think, had named her. Lolo’s real name was Ann Neubrech. She lived in
Olympia with her husband and family. Lolo was just great because she liked our kids and
she would come to the Mansion. Mother was living there but she wanted to do things as
well. We often went to Seattle to the concerts or whatever. And so if Lolo could come to
64