Since Dixy Lee Ray’s name was brought up on my FaceBook page, I thought I’d share a fun memory of her. I knew her while I was working as a reporter and news anchor on KIRO-TV in Seattle.
Dixy, who was then running for office as Washington State Governor, was actually kind of a wild lady. She did an occasional TV show on KIRO, always wearing the same faded canary-yellow jacket. One day just moments before the show went live, a floor director suggested that she put on a different colored jacket which he had in his hands.
No problem. Right on camera with seconds to go, she stripped off the yellow jacket (wearing absolutely nothing underneath!), and put on the green one. Jaws dropped in the studio, the director’s booth, and around all the TV monitors in the newsroom. The future Governor of Washington State just didn’t have inhibitions. She wouldn’t have hesitated for a second, even if she was actually on the air at the time. She was much wilder than her staid reputation as a scientist ever hinted at. She was also a good person.
Miss you, Dixy!
