 Evans was commissioned as a LTJG in the United States Navy during World War II, and based on his portfolio of earlier work for Fairchild Aircraft, was assigned to the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics Engineering Division, where he illustrated equipment repair manuals.At the end of the War, Evans returned to Old Hemlock near Brandonville, WV.Unable to find English Setters to suit his desires, Evans set out to breed his own variety which would combine a natural ability to handle ruffed grouse, while possessing some of the beauty George believed to have been lost in the field trial dogs of the era.