Dan Evans, a steadfast Scout and former governor and senator, passed away on Friday, September 20, 2024, at the age of ninety-eight. A conservationist devoted to protecting public lands, Dan Evans left his mark across the state, truly embodying the spirit of a Scouting life.
Evans dedicated his life to service: to his country as a Navy lieutenant, to Washington State as a three-term governor, and to the nation as a U.S. senator. He championed public education, advanced environmental policies, and worked across party lines to preserve the landscapes he cherished.
His journey as a Scout at Camp Parsons, where he hiked Mount Deception, sparked a passion that would later inspire his efforts as a U.S. senator to advocate for wilderness preservation. His work led to the creation of protected areas around Olympic National Park, with the Wilderness Act ultimately extending protection to nearly 95 percent of the park.
In August 2017, during a ceremony at Hurricane Ridge, the Olympic Wilderness was renamed Daniel J. Evans Wilderness in his honor. At 91 years old, the former governor and senator returned to Olympic National Park, hiking through the wilderness with his family, retracing his steps through the Royal Basin just as he did as a Boy Scout 77 years earlier.
Dan Evans truly lived by the words of Robert Baden-Powell: “Try and leave this world a little better than you found it, and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate, you have not wasted your time but have done your best.”