Well, I sort of came through the back door of the Governor’s Mansion. I was invited
to become a member of the Foundation by Nancy Evans. I accepted with pleasure. That
first year, Anne Simons was Chairman. The following year, I was asked to be the
chairman, probably because they wanted the chairman to be from Seattle at that time.
[Chair, 1981-84] I accepted the job and enjoyed the privilege. I stayed interested
and met with the Seattle board members for a few years but did not play as active
a role. We discussed fund raising and had a cocktail party to which friends were
invited. They paid to attend and it was held at a home of one of the members.
When I was chairman, Dixy Lee Ray was the governor. And her sister, Marion Reed,
was actually the First Lady at the house, and was present at all of our activities
in the Mansion. There are three wonderful women who stand out in my mind as being
the real bulwark of the Foundation-- Olympia ladies. And they were Dorothy Donworth,
Eva Goldberg, and Virginia Talcott. They welcomed all the new members warmly and
made the chairman’s job easy. They were at each activity, often bringing their cheese,
crackers and cookies as well. Coming from Seattle, their presence at the scene was
a great support. They loved the Mansion, and their love was contagious.
Fundraising was our real purpose and paying for repairs as they were needed. For
instance, the fabric on several pieces of furniture became worn and our decorator,
Jean Jongeward, wanted them to be recovered. The original fabric was no longer available
and she wanted more to be woven, a very expensive operation. I formed a committee
of members to look for a similar fabric that would be a less expensive solution.
Although some were found, they were not acceptable to Jean. As a matter of fact,
she said she would resign if we didn’t do as she suggested, and she would not allow
her name to be connected to the Mansion. So, we accepted her wishes. I believe there
is more of the re-woven fabric in storage in the Mansion attic.
The Mansion had little art and also had limited wall space. The long gallery room
had been built, I think, as an overflow area for large gatherings. It needed art
on its walls and we formed a committee to pursue that need. I asked Diana Neeley,
of Bellevue, to be chairman. She immediately began the search, going to New York
City as well as other places in her search. She found an exquisite picture, a small
oil of Mount Rainier painted by James Henry Warre, British, 1819-1898. He painted
it from near Steilacoom. The gallery began to have exhibits which continue to this
day.
I asked the directors of the State Museum, the Seattle Art Museum, and The Henry
Gallery at the University of Washington to be on the board at that time. I remember
particularly the director of the Henry Gallery, Harvey West, who attended meetings
and came to Olympia to hang several shows at the Mansion.
I think that’s about as much as I can remember after 25 years. We all enjoyed meeting
and knowing the women from other parts of the State. They worked hard on their committees
to raise money for the Mansion as well. That was Nancy Evans’ idea, of course, when
she founded the organization.