Allison "Shorty" Evans

The Evans Family Reunion • A Life Well Lived Allison "Shorty" Evans was living proof that a nickname can be small while the man behind it is anything but. Like his brothers and sisters before and after him, Shorty walked the halls of Central High School, graduating in the 1950s and carrying on a proud Evans family tradition. From there, the big city called, and Shorty answered—heading to Dallas, Texas, the city he would call home for the rest of his life. Shorty answered another call as well, serving his country in the United States Army at Fort Hood, Texas, where he earned an honorable discharge. Family legend holds that no matter what the Army had planned, Shorty somehow found his way back to Dallas just about every weekend. The Army had his enlistment, but Dallas had his heart. After his military service, Shorty began what would become a remarkable career at the Statler Hilton Hotel in downtown Dallas—in its day, the biggest and finest hotel in the city. He started as a waiter and, through hard work, sharp instincts, and that easy Evans charm, worked his way up into management, where he remained until his retirement. Spending an entire career at Dallas's premier hotel meant Shorty knew just about everybody in the hotel business—and, knowing Shorty, everybody in the hotel business was glad they knew him. If those walls could talk, Shorty could have finished their sentences. Shorty was also a Hamilton Park pioneer, moving into one of the very first brand-new homes built in that historic Dallas neighborhood when it was a shining new addition—and a truly special place to be. He later made his home on Foxboro, married, and raised his two children in Dallas, surrounded on all sides by the people who mattered most: family. And that may be the truest thing anyone can say about Shorty Evans—family wasn't just a part of his life; it was the whole show. The Evans brothers all settled within a few minutes of one another around Dallas, and they liked it that way. When your brothers are your best friends, it's mighty hard for anyone else to measure up. Every house party—and there were plenty—drew the entire family, every single time. An Evans gathering wasn't a party with family invited; the family was the party. Then there was bid whist. For Shorty and his crew—Charlie, Jenny, Leo, Pat, Brenda, and the whole beloved circle—bid whist wasn't a card game, it was a lifestyle. The games rolled from house to house every weekend, and when Shorty was at the table, they could start on Friday evening and not let up until Sunday. Twenty-four hours a day. Sleep was optional; trash talk was mandatory. Shorty loved his cars, and he kept a set of golf clubs—though the family will tell you, with love, that owning golf clubs and playing golf are two very different things. Shorty belonged to that grand fraternity of gentlemen who enjoyed the fresh air, the good company, and the nineteenth hole considerably more than the first eighteen. His true passion was fishing. Put Shorty near the water with a rod in his hand, and he was right where he wanted to be. Allison "Shorty" Evans lived a life built on the things that last: faithful service, honest work, a career he could be proud of, and above all, a family that stayed close in every sense of the word. He is remembered with laughter, with love, and with a full deck of memories—and somewhere, we like to think, the bid whist game is still going.