MOTHER’S DAY TRIBUTE
54
TALLEY’S WAY
A grandson recalls the life of a colorful
political wife with influential connections
rian. She was such a prim and proper Southern lady and
yet she poked fun at the formalities to which she professed
allegiance, as if to get even with the social conventions that
restrained her.
“I’ve always been a rebel,” she’d announce, excusing
herself whenever she felt she might have taken a step or two
beyond the border of propriety.
Talley was truly the life of every party she attended. She
was a great master of the fine art of conversation, because she
understood that conversation is a team sport. Everyone present
needs to be a participant, no matter how inept they feel.
She knew how to make even the dullest visitors appear to
shine and feel good about themselves. A lackluster comment
from a guest was warmly received by her with encouraging
delight. She would laugh with melodious glee whenever one
of her guests said something halfway humorous.
Talley loved all the “trappings” of politics, as she called
I f people ever stop to wonder who used to live in Crary
House, a congressional office in downtown Stuart, they
usually learn it was the home of a man for whom a
St. Lucie River bridge is named. These days his wife,
who spent 66 years in that house, has been all but forgotten.
But once upon a time in those quaint decades when
Martin County was sparsely populated and everyone knew
everyone else, Talley Crary, my grandmother, was a local
celebrity in her own right.
It was Evans Crary Sr.’s decision to go into politics that
forced his wife, Talley, into the limelight. Being in the public
eye drew out the natural born actress she had hidden within.
Although you always had to drag her to any social event, as
soon as Talley arrived a light would flash on in her blue eyes —
and the show would begin. She was always remarkably frank.
“I always have despised politics,” she said to audiences on
many occasions. “And wouldn’t you know it — I’d marry
someone who liked it.”
Evans spent 18 years in the Florida Legislature during the
Treasure Coast’s formative years. He represented Martin
County as a state representative, and then he represented a
large chunk of the Treasure Coast as a state senator. At the
pinnacle of his career, in 1945, he became Speaker of the
House. So, there were countless cocktail parties and political
receptions and, of course, a politician’s wife must always
be on stage. When Talley took command with her disarming
charm, she threw everyone off guard.
“When I was a young girl,” she would often say, “I was
half afraid the white slavers would get me, and half afraid
they wouldn’t.”
New acquaintances were surprised by such confessions,
because something about Talley seemed positively Victo-
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BY RICK CRARY
RICK CRARY COLLECTION
Talley was born in the last days of the horse-and-buggy era. She’s the little
girl up front.
Talley McKewn Crary (1905-2002) moved to Stuart from Tampa in 1928.