Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State

Hughes: I bet that made a big hit.
Evans: It was a good thing to do, but it really jammed us up. In those days, they called it
Children’s Orthopedic Hospital, which is now Children’s Hospital. And once a year in May I
had a tea at the Mansion to benefit the hospital. And because people were curious about
us many people came. The first year always has the most interest in your administration.
I forget how many we had for the first one. But it was a hot day. I remember that. And
we stood at the front door greeting people. It just was huge! So that first June, Dan said,
“Well, let’s look at the guest book and see how many people have signed.” And we had
had 10,000 people that we had fed something to. So these are not just people who came
in to tour or for a brief meeting. It was 10,000 people in six months.
Hughes: Every time I go to the Mansion I like to look at Harry S. Truman’s signature. And
you said that one of the boys wrote his name in the guest book. Which son was it?
Evans: Danny. Our oldest because he was old enough to write.
Hughes: You found out he had written his name in there?
Evans: A lot! (laughing)
Hughes: So it’s Harry S. Truman and Daniel J. Evans Jr.
Evans: Well, he didn’t go back to those pages (where Truman signed). But as you kept
turning the pages they had his contribution. He had signed his name several times.
Hughes: I want to ask you about a story I
heard about the Evans kids turning up in
their jammies on the musicians’ balcony
during a fancy dinner at the Mansion.
Evans: Yes. (smiling) That happened. It
was during a Japanese trade mission, and
it was one of my disasters. They had just
arrived in Seattle, I think. And then they
bused down to Olympia for a dinner. So
they were tired. And I made a mistake with
the dinner. I had been to Japan, but I just
A reception with Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato and his wife,
Hiroko Sato, November 12, 1967. Washington State Archives
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