Nobody did more in the modern era to keep the memory of classic burlesque alive than Dixie Evans. As conservator of Exotic World (a position she held since 1989), Evans watched over a remarkable collection of g-strings, pasties, fans, and photographs from the golden age of the bump-and-grind.
     What makes her involvement more incredible is that Evans had a personal connection to 1950's strippers--she was one herself. Back in the era where most strippers had a gimmick, Evans was handed hers on a silver screen platter. During those years, Marilyn Monroe fever was running rampant due in no small part to the star's admission that she was indeed the nude model featured in the first issue of Playboy. Evans had been dancing on the circuit since the early 50's, but it wasn't until she decided to become burlesque's answer to Monroe that her career really took off.
     Comparatively, Evans and Monroe had the same general body type: 40-26-34 for Evans and 37-24-35 for Monroe. And in some publicity photos the resemblance is uncanny. With her transformation, Evans had hit blonde bombshell gold. The real Marilyn Monroe was too inaccessible to your average joe, but Evans (in her Monroe guise) could let these men's imagination run wild. If you couldn't have Monroe, you could have the next best thing. With Monroe's death in the early 60's, Evans gimmick was pulled out from under her. It wasn't until Evans decided to renew the act as a tribute that she got her career rolling again. 
     As classic burlesque died away, Evans went into retirement. It was only after the death of fellow stripper (and founder of Exotic World) Jennie Lee, that Evans took up the mantel as keeper of the burlesque flame. Under her watchful eye, Exotic World became a burlesque mecca out in the middle of the Mojave Desert. In the mid-2000's, the museum was packed up and moved to a much more visible location--Las Vegas, where is resides today. It was then rechristened The Burlesque Hall of Fame. 
     Even as her health faded, Evans kept a watchful eye on the current generation of burlesque performers giving them a connection to the past and inspiration for the future. She passed away in August of 2013 at age 86.