Spokane is now my home, but I did live in Olympia for about six years. Governor
Evans had appointed my husband to the Board of Tax Appeals and that became a full
time position. We moved to Olympia where I was very much involved with the politics
of that time. Coming from Spokane, and my having known Mrs. Bell, Nancy Evans' mother,
Nancy and I became close friends and she asked me if I would be interested in volunteering
at the mansion and would I be able to write grant letters for the renovation of
the mansion. So I was appointed to be a member.
At that time, raising money seemed to be the job of the trustees. We worked with
the administration to do that. But there were not very many foundations in the United
States that were interested in sending money to a state capitol for restoration
of its mansion. But there were a lot of individuals, particularly groups in Seattle
and Tacoma and Spokane who were willing to donate. I could not tell you how much
we raised, because I do not know. But we raised some money. And along with what
the administration put in, they were able to begin the project. I was also writing
other states and other foundations that were giving to artistic things. It was very
interesting.
It really became opportune to have a Board of Trustees that would be responsible
for refurbishing the manor. So they started off with small committees, not the number
you have today. And they worked. I enjoyed it. I learned a lot. It was a great opportunity,
a learning experience. And I think anyone who became a trustee really found it a
very honorable position.
In the 1970s, before the renovation of the Governor's Mansion really got started,
there were so many problems that had to be addressed. We had nothing to do with
the structural problems of the mansion, since our job was to try to refurnish it,
but I do recall some of those problems. There were problems with the fireplaces,
the plumbing and the wiring. All of those things were in dire need of renovation.
Eva Goldberg and Virginia Talcott, both such live wires, were more familiar with
what needed to be done, since they spent so much time there. They knew a lot and
got a lot accomplished.
When people were able to return to the mansion, after the building had been renovated,
the trustees were very active in their choice of those who would handle the library,
who would redo carpets. And of course the dining room was so important, the wall
paper. That was very important. I don’t know the history of the tea set that remains
in the dining room, but I know it came from the USS Olympia. Then there was a matter
of getting more candlesticks and things that would make it a home. Once the Evans
family was able to move back into the mansion, family life resumed and it was just
delightful to see the children there. They were so well groomed and so well disciplined,
it was nice having them around.
There were lots of different and interesting things used in furnishing the mansion,
like that magnificent piano. Well, there are two of them in there now. I have played
the piano, when nobody was in there. It’s always fun to say you've done something
like that.
Governor Ray's sister acted as the State's First Lady and lived in the mansion,
and I remember they both wore ankle bracelets. That was a surprise. You know, each
governor had the option to change the Family Room, the pictures and all. Because
I know when Dixie Lee Ray was governor, she had all Indian paintings on the walls.
The whole room was decorated with them.
Dixie Lee Ray was governor when we had our first big fundraiser in Spokane. That
was about the time they did the film of the mansion. The film was really produced
by a trustee from Tacoma and her committee. We invited everybody in the Spokane
area to come. Dixie Lee came and told all about the rooms as they were being shown
on the screen. Then we had a luncheon following at the Cheney Cowles Museum, which
was an unusual place for a lot of Spokane residents, but it was very successful.
Later, we tried another one in Spokane when they were working on Riverfront Park.
We invited people to come and take a tour on the railroad, the little railroad that
went all around in that area and they could also ride the gondolas over the falls.
When I visit the mansion, it's often difficult, because I am an emotional person
and have so many good memories of the place. It still looks familiar. Things have
been covered in new fabrics and many of the paintings are different. When I went
into the library I wondered where the little stool to get all of those high books
had gone? And then somebody said they don’t open it anymore because of its fragility.
I can remember dancing in the ballroom, wearing a blue gown. That was a long time
ago, but I can remember how beautiful everything was. I don't think we ever had
an artificial flower arrangement. In those days, the flowers throughout the mansion
were supplied by the greenhouse and were always fresh.
The beds upstairs were sometimes a topic of conversation, because they are high
and narrow--much more so than beds these days. We were told that the mattresses
were quite comfortable.
When people from all over the State came to the annual spring meeting of the trustees,
everything was in bloom and looked so beautiful. The campus looked its best for
us with all the rhodies and azaleas. That meeting was normally held in May, but
lately it's been changed to June. Well, it still looks lovely.
Sometimes, when the legislature ran over, we would have to park way out, away from
the mansion, and have to be bussed to our meeting. A couple of times we did have
to walk, because we couldn't find parking. and it poured down rain. By the time
we got up to the mansion, even with an umbrella, we were soaked.
Our golden years aren’t always that golden, but when one has the opportunity to
see people who are involved and vigorous, life is beautiful and wonderful.