Inaugural Impressions
Betty Jo Evans Hall (1934–)
Betty (Jo) Evans was born on February 3, 1934, and grew up in Morrilton, Arkansas. According to her husband, Governor David Hall, Jo’s father abandoned the family shortly after her birth, leaving her mother, Ruth, to care for both Jo and her brother. Jo’s brother went on to become a police detective, while Jo attended Arkansas State Teachers College (now University of Central Arkansas). In 1952, she started working as a flight attendant for American Airlines in New York City.
Jo met David on a blind date in Tulsa in December 1955. David was a law student at the University of Tulsa at the time. The couple married in Chicago on June 9, 1956. Jo continued working for American Airlines while David finished his degree. The couple went on to have three children. David served as Tulsa County district attorney and worked in a private law practice before defeating incumbent Governor Dewey Bartlett in the 1970 gubernatorial election.
Jo supported her husband’s work in politics while remaining committed to raising their children. Indeed, the children were teenagers by the time the family moved to the Governor’s Mansion. Jo and David made some improvements to the property during their tenure, including updating the bathrooms, refurbishing the ballroom, and installing custom dining room chairs that featured the state seal.
David left office in January 1975 under the shadow of prolonged investigations by the Internal Revenue Service and two state grand juries. He was convicted of bribery and extortion charges and served over one year in federal prison. Jo visited David regularly and took on any job she could to support the family. Jo and David resided in southern California upon his release. They worked together at the same law firm in San Diego, and David became active in Special Olympics. David died on May 6, 2016.
Jo Evans Hall and Governor David Hall, 1972
(2012.201.B0245.0205, Oklahoma Publishing Company Photography Collection, OHS)
