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Jeremy Hays: OK. So I guess the first, I don't know if I mentioned this, but the first question will be basically where you grew up. So Denise, where did you grow up? Was it Sonoma County? Denise Briand: Grew up. I grew up in Boston. Denise Briand: Until I was 10 years of age and then my parents came to California in 1950. Jeremy Hays: And did they come straight to Sonoma County?

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Denise Briand: We came from Boston to actually Coronado, CA. Denise Briand: And live. I lived there for about four years, and then my father moved us to San Francisco. Denise Briand: And in 1961, after I got married, my husband and I moved to Sonoma County, to Rohnert Park. Jeremy Hays: So that's a good segue to why did you move to Rohnert Park?

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Denise Briand: There, we moved to Rohnert Park because all these houses were being built that were very affordable. Denise Briand: It was 99. It's $500 down. Denise Briand: And $99.00 a month which is. Denise Briand: Was quite a bit of money in 1961, but.

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Denise Briand: It was affordable. Jeremy Hays: How did you? How did you? I mean, did you see an ad for Rohnert Park there? I know they're advertising the company, the real estate company. How did you come to find out about? Denise Briand: My husband was in insurance sales at that time and he would travel to Sonoma County quite a bit and he discovered. Denise Briand: Rohnert Park. And so he came and said to me, what do you think about us investigating, moving there? And so that's how we happened to move to Orland Park.

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Jeremy Hays: And when he said, what do you think about us investigating? Moving there. What did you say? Denise Briand: I said I thought it was a very good idea because, you know, we lived in. Denise Briand: The city and. Denise Briand: We lived in San Francisco, actually just about in the Haight Ashbury area at that point, and it was changing rapidly.

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Denise Briand: And it seemed like a good idea to move to the suburbs. We had two children. Denise Briand: And so that's what we did. We became suburbanite suburbanites. So what do you want to call it? Yeah. Jeremy Hays: So did you move up here? I mean, before you moved up here, I assume you came up and drove around and whatnot. Can you talk about them? Denise Briand: Ohh yes. Well no. What we did was he had discovered a section in Rohnert Park and that's where he wanted me to look at a house that was for sale there. So we we we drove specifically to look at this particular house that was for sale.

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Jeremy Hays: And when you got there and you drove into. Jeremy Hays: What was then the wasn't quite it wasn't incorporated, but with those then running park and into a neighborhood, what did you think? Denise Briand: Well, this house, this House actually wasn't even completed yet. Most of the houses in the neighborhood were basically under construction, almost completed. Denise Briand: And we researched Rohnert Park, which is actually considered Cotati at the time. As far as a mailing address.

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Denise Briand: Us because Rohnert Park wasn't an incorporated city. Denise Briand: And we had to use Cotati post office. Denise Briand: So it was our address was actually Qatada, even though we were in Rohnert Park. Jeremy Hays: And what did you think when you drove into a neighborhood? I mean, as far as I recall from what my research shows, there was no. And then when you drove in that area, there was no market there, was she just had an open that kind of thing. What?

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Jeremy Hays: Did you? Denise Briand: Think of that area I as I, as I recall I I I think Caesar's market was just opened at the time that we came in. Denise Briand: 1961 if it wasn't, it was shortly after. Denise Briand: And it was the whole community was in the process of developing and.

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Denise Briand: I thought living in a house was just going to be wonderful and. Denise Briand: I didn't even know how to drive at the time, so I had to learn how to drive and. Speaker 3: So it was a whole new way of living and OK. Speaker 3: You're fine.

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Jeremy Hays: See. It's fun so far, right? Denise Briand: Yeah. Am I answering OK? OK. Jeremy Hays: You're answering. Great. You got it. You're on the nose. OK. Yeah, you got it. Jeremy Hays: So the next question would be, even if ceases was just opening, there wasn't a lot open there. Can you talk about what the community was like at the beginning?

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Denise Briand: No, it was. Denise Briand: The community was just a section which is a very small section and there is one at Park has the B section C-section. Whatever. All the way up to I think S section. Denise Briand: And at that time, that's all it was. I think 3000, I think I think the population when we moved in was 3000 people. Denise Briand: And I think if I remember correctly, the A&W root beer was there already and the Snow State College was there, but it was just in a building.

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Denise Briand: Kind of behind seasons market, more like an apartment type of building and that's where the original Snow State College was before they broke ground and built the college out off of the Expressway. Jeremy Hays: And so you moved in in 61, there wasn't a lot there. There's maybe the A&W and thesis market. What did you do on a day-to-day basis in Moreno Park? Denise Briand: On a day-to-day basis in Orland Park well. Denise Briand: We, my husband and I actually brought the insurance business with us. We that is why we were able to move to a different area because we could work out of our home at.

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Denise Briand: That at that time he was the the license insurance agent and the salesperson. And I was the person that did the office work. Denise Briand: So I did that at home and then and then eventually I became licensed. Denise Briand: And then and then we rented an an office building and the office building was owned by Maurice Fredericks and Paul Golis. And so we had a a little office in there. And then then and actually one of our first accounts. That well, actually, that's. I'm getting ahead of myself. Denise Briand: Because that was after corporation.

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Denise Briand: So what my husband would do would be to call on all of these. It was. It was a wonderful farming market because all these new people were moving into all these new homes and they needed homeowners. Denise Briand: And so he would make contact with these people and then pretty soon he would write their car insurance and their life insurance. So we built. Denise Briand: A very good business. Denise Briand: From from starting right there in our neighborhood.

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Jeremy Hays: So being in, yeah, being in this new city was really, really helped you get started there. Denise Briand: Oh, it was fun. Yeah, it was nice. Jeremy Hays: And so you were one of things you said was that you were. Jeremy Hays: Involved in the Committee for Incorporation, Tom talked to me about how you got involved and.

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Denise Briand: You know my husband, we became very active in the community. I joined the the the Royal Park Women's Association was formed and I was one of the founding, you know, the ground floor members of the Royal Park Women's Association. Denise Briand: And and he joined the Chamber of Commerce and the 2030 club. That was a club that was very active at that time for men in their 20s and 30s. Denise Briand: And when he joined the Chamber of Commerce, and then we had the Volunteer Fire Department that the the Rohnert Park public safety was both police and fire. But it was strictly Volunteer Fire Department. There was no no full time fire, firefighters. Denise Briand: And they built the Firehouse there on Southwest Blvd. And so my husband became a volunteer fireman.

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Denise Briand: And so then I. Denise Briand: Became president of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Fire Department. Denise Briand: And as a matter of fact, I can recall, one time we had a terrible fire, which was the same path that the fire took from the the 17, 2017 fire, same path, except that there weren't homes that are there now, and I can recall making about 1000 baloney sandwiches because. Denise Briand: Of our men were out on the fire line, you know, between Santa Rosa and Calistoga, fighting that fire, yeah.

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Jeremy Hays: That's quite a story. It is. Jeremy Hays: So how did you get so all that that activity you were just describing, how did that lead to the incorporation committee? Denise Briand: Well, there were some talk of this, that that few men that are probably what I would consider like we'll go, Paul, go listen. And Norman Spivak was another person that was a developer at Park and they thought it would be advantageous for the city to become an actual.

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Denise Briand: Sitting on its own and so that grass roots. Denise Briand: Establishment got started and. Denise Briand: People like Pete Callanan and and and Jack Buchanan and you know, got together and decided to to start the petition to become a city. And so my husband and I were very active on it, that we, we we talked to a lot of neighbors. We had petition signed. Denise Briand: That the how advantageous it would be for us to be our own little city and not have to be part of Qatada. I have our own post office.

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Jeremy Hays: What were some other reasons that it would be advantageous? Why did you want to incorporate? Denise Briand: Well, just for those reasons. I told you that that we we felt like we were starting a new city. You know, we were on the ground floor of it and we were going to have our own City Council, you know, to make planning decisions, developments, decisions at that time B section. Denise Briand: Was just starting to be constructed and we could see the vision of Rohnert Park was going to be we wanted to see it be a planned city. So in order to be planned, not just leave it up to the individual developers that it would be a good idea to have the people that were part of the community be a part of. Denise Briand: The planning of the city and to have parks, you know, for children to play in and swimming pools and community build.

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Jeremy Hays: Yeah, that makes perfect sense. What? What was it? You know, not everybody. What was it? Night the day or the night? Because it had failed once, like, just before you moved there. And if the incorporation they're going to vote and hadn't passed, and then the vote was in 1962, was it like when it passed? So you remember the night the after the after you found out. Denise Briand: Well, it was kind of like an election, you know that when you're you're celebrating because your candidate, you know won, you know, we were very excited and happy that it did. It did it pass. Denise Briand: It was very advantageous for my husband and I because now that the city now that there was actually a city, then the city had to purchase insurance and so we became the insurance agents that insured the city of Rohnert Park. Jeremy Hays: It worked out well.

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Denise Briand: Worked out very well. Jeremy Hays: So you're there. You're in a new city, like, not. Most people don't have a chance to be in a city that it basically had no history, right? Because it hadn't been around and had lots of future promise and potential. What was it? Did it what? Jeremy Hays: Did it feel like? Denise Briand: Well, as I say to us, to us personally, it felt wonderful because we were becoming, you know, pretty starting to not become financially independent. But we were earning a good living, you know, and and that's when Paul Golis.

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Denise Briand: First contacted me to see if well about actually it wasn't really Paul Golas. It was, it was the editor of the Rohnert Park Press. Denise Briand: His name was red. Red buyers, I think. And he was doing all the typing himself and he was selling all the advertising and. Denise Briand: So he asked me if I would like to have a job selling advertising. Denise Briand: And so I took that job, but I didn't like it because number one, I was just learning to drive, and I had this horrible car that I had to drive.

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Denise Briand: And and Rohnert Park was going through a bad reputation at that time. A lot of people that have moved in found that they could not afford the payments. So they were, they were leaving. And it was, it was. And for a while, called the land of the midnight movers. Denise Briand: So it was getting a bad reputation and so to go around and sell advertising. Denise Briand: People didn't you know the the merchants really didn't see the benefit, you know, of of, of advertising in this little weekly paper. So it was difficult. Denise Briand: And so then, Red said to me, well, he he would take over the the selling if like he could find somebody that could do the variant typing.

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Denise Briand: And a very it's a different type of machine. It it measures increments that give you column inches. Denise Briand: And I said, well, what would that entail? And he said, well, I could send you to school for a couple of days in San Francisco. So I took that job and went to San Francisco and learned how to very time. There was only about four or five people in the county that knew how to run a very tight at that time. Jeremy Hays: You almost had a monopoly, huh? Denise Briand: With a monopoly, but.

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Denise Briand: But I was making $75 a week. Denise Briand: Cash for three days a week now. That was a lot. Jeremy Hays: Of money at that time. So. So your payment was a month. Denise Briand: What it was more, I mean, it was 75 a week. My payment was.

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Denise Briand: $99.00 a month. Jeremy Hays: Doesn't quite work out that way these days. Yeah. Why was he called land of the midnight movers? Like, did people? Denise Briand: Because they seem to be moving out at night, you know, they they were running out. They were running out on their mortgages and and. Denise Briand: That's why, you know you'd see a moving them would come up and next thing you know, the people, the people would be there the day before and then you see that they were gone the next day.

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Denise Briand: It would have been a wonderful investment because. Denise Briand: You could have picked up houses. Excuse me. Can we stop for just a minute? Aan Fitch (AF): Fire it up, OK? AF Whenever you're ready, Jeremy. OK, where were we?

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Jeremy Hays: Talking about the early days of the city. Jeremy Hays: Well, let me just ask, uh, so we're talking about the midnight movers. Jeremy Hays: So aside from the. Jeremy Hays: The fact that it was.

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Jeremy Hays: You know it was. Jeremy Hays: Good for you and and your husband and the and business and and oh, I know where we were. We were at the running part. Jeremy Hays: Press. Yeah, and and and you and you join the paper and then you stopped advertising. You started doing the. Denise Briand: The typing.

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Jeremy Hays: The typing. Yeah. So what? What kind of stories was it important? What kind of stories do you remember? The Rohnert Park press having about the community? Denise Briand: Well, there was. Denise Briand: A column in there that was written, you know, by a girl by the name Anne Rasmussen. She she had a nice column. And it would.

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Denise Briand: Mostly be talks about or stories about upcoming events. You know, community events, school issues. Denise Briand: Some sports things you know that for for for the children, you know they they had a pop Warner football thing coming up. Denise Briand: That might be a little dinner party that somebody was was planning. It was, you know, pretty just a Pretty Little local, you know, weekly paper. Jeremy Hays: And why was the Roland Park press important to the community? In what ways?

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Denise Briand: Well, I I would have to say that I think that Paul Gollis was a very. Denise Briand: Community minded man. Denise Briand: In fact, I think his son writes for the press. Denise Briand: Democrat you're aware of that, right? Yeah.

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Denise Briand: He thought we should have a paper. Denise Briand: So yeah. Denise Briand: Was I think that was the reason. Denise Briand: Why just to have a community like where I live now? Rancho Grande. I'm on that paper now. We have a little one that comes out once a month and I write a column.

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Denise Briand: And do a movie review and what have. Jeremy Hays: You repeating your repeating your past history. Did you? Did it help you? Did the Rohnert Park press and if you could answer it, the runner. Jeremy Hays: Park press whatever. Did it help you get to know the community better as a new resident? Denise Briand: The Water park press.

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Denise Briand: Did help help me to get to know the community better. Denise Briand: Because it I was taken a very active role and everything that went into the paper. Denise Briand: Will there be new businesses that might turn up and have to write the copy for new business and? Denise Briand: I I would say it was a very.

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Denise Briand: It was very important, you know, for the Community and. Denise Briand: And for myself to become as active as I was and and my husband and I, we were community minded. We we wanted to do things good for the Community. It wasn't just because our business was doing well. Naturally that would be part of it. You. Denise Briand: Know but. Denise Briand: We also enjoyed doing things for the Community.

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Jeremy Hays: Did you have children at the time? Denise Briand: My son Nick was five years old when we moved there, and then my son Michael was three months old when we moved to Royal Park. AF OK, we're all. Jeremy Hays: So you moved, you moved to which neighborhood a?

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Denise Briand: Yes, we we moved to a section on Alta Ave. Jeremy Hays: What street did you move to? Jeremy Hays: And tell me about the else Ave. at the time. Denise Briand: Well after Ave. it's just.

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Denise Briand: We were all young married people. Denise Briand: And my hairdresser that became my hairdresser lived 2 doors away from me and we do do my hair out of her house. Denise Briand: We seem to. Denise Briand: Have a lot of garage parties. I don't know why, but it seemed like nobody wanted to be in their house. It was like I wouldn't say that my husband and I did that, but we did go to a.

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Denise Briand: Lot of garage parties. Denise Briand: And we would have dances and what have you. Denise Briand: We're just a lot of young married couples with children getting to know each other. Denise Briand: It was a whole new world for me because I'd always lived in San Francisco and cities and.

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Denise Briand: You don't really even know who your. Denise Briand: Next door neighbors are. Jeremy Hays: Mostly. So what are your like? Walk me through some of your favorite memories from that time. You know that the early 60s in Rohnert Park? Denise Briand: Well, my favorite memories of of living in Royal Park were making so many new friends and and and doing some home and.

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Denise Briand: And working, working. You know doing things with the with the woman's association and. Denise Briand: The Firemen's Association, the Ladies Auxiliary. Denise Briand: I remember one time I planned to dance at the Firehouse and I was in charge of it. Denise Briand: And I I phoned A theatrical agency and hired a trio to come and play, you know, because we were having a dance.

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Denise Briand: And so when they came, one of them said. Denise Briand: So where's the piano? And I said. Denise Briand: So don't you have one? Denise Briand: Well, guess what? He was a pianist. But we didn't have a piano, so we had a bunch of the guys got.

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Denise Briand: Together and there was a fireman that had a piano in his house, upright, and they got a truck and they brought in a piano. So save the day. But. Jeremy Hays: OK. Are there any other any other particular memories that you want to highlight? Denise Briand: Yeah, I mean, just the sense of community. Denise Briand: Actually, one of the firemen.

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Denise Briand: Actually, he was a policeman. Denise Briand: And he drove his car one time into his garage with the patrol car, kept it running, and it ignited the. Denise Briand: Water heater. Denise Briand: And it's house burned down, yeah.

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Denise Briand: And they had let their insurance lapse. And so as a community, we got together and we had a huge fundraiser. Denise Briand: To help them, you know, purchase new furniture and what have you and expenses. You know that they had, it was the whole community came out, we had a huge BBQ. Denise Briand: Raffle raise quite a bit of. Jeremy Hays: Money. So it feels like to me that like you're describing a place that really felt.

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Jeremy Hays: Good to live in. Oh yeah. Jeremy Hays: The founders days tell me about that. Denise Briand: Well, the founders days, we would have usually you know, we'd have like a BBQ, a parade. Denise Briand: Just a sense of the whole community being involved. We had a beauty pageant. So Miss Vernet park. That's how that started.

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Denise Briand: And that was fun. Working on that. You know, the young girls that would enroll in that. Denise Briand: It was a lot of fun working on that. Jeremy Hays: Tell me where it was held. What happened during it? Denise Briand: You know, I'll tell you what.

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Denise Briand: I seem to have a memory of one of the Community buildings being used. Denise Briand: But you know at that time we did a lot of things in our homes too. You know, we we held meetings in our homes, but we did have a community building where we. Denise Briand: Where we held our our Women's Association so that that was there. And I think that was in B section. Jeremy Hays: And what led you all to start the Women's Association and when?

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Jeremy Hays: Did that happen? Denise Briand: I think that it that start, the Women's Association, I'm not sure who whose idea that was to begin with, but. Denise Briand: It was to to be to be active in the community, to be in philosophical, raise money for different funds, you know? So it wasn't just. Denise Briand: A social group.

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Denise Briand: We did do we raised money for different events or for people that you know? Denise Briand: We're needy or what have you, yeah. Jeremy Hays: Alright. What other were there other types of activities that the association got involved with? Denise Briand: The Women's Association, you know, we did a fashion show once a year and that would be like a big fundraiser, you know, too.

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Denise Briand: To and we would, we would donate to the schools, you know, for if they didn't have enough money for certain sports events and. Jeremy Hays: Who is it? A group that a lot of women. Denise Briand: Yeah, I would say this group. Denise Briand: I think it would probably about 40 or 45 of us that that most of the time would be the membership in that group, yeah.

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Jeremy Hays: And imagine and who who were kind of ladies were in there? Was it? Denise Briand: Young housewives were usually. Denise Briand: We were all young housewives. I would say.

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Denise Briand: Early to mid 20s to late 20s. Jeremy Hays: Almost everybody had kids. Denise Briand: Almost everybody in the group had had children. Denise Briand: We also had a we also formed a.

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Denise Briand: It was a Co-op. Denise Briand: Preschool, so. Denise Briand: That you could send your child to the preschool but but you had to work in it yourself, so you had to have a day. Denise Briand: That you volunteered to work and the preschool.

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Jeremy Hays: And what was it like for your kids to, you know, grow up there the 1st 678 years of their? Denise Briand: Lives well. My children didn't know any other way of living. Except, of course, my five year old son. Denise Briand: You know when you're 5 years old you you adapt pretty easily. You don't have a lot of memory of what went on prior, but. Denise Briand: My children just adapted very well, became friendly with the people next door and we just all did things together and.

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Denise Briand: You never had to worry, or if if, like if your husband wasn't home in the evening, there was always somebody around you know to. Denise Briand: You you didn't feel isolated in the neighborhood at all. Jeremy Hays: How over the time 61 to when you moved away in 7067? Jeremy Hays: Seven. OK, so how did it the city change in in those years?

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Denise Briand: Well, there, there was definitely growth going on in the city by the time we moved in 67 and we weren't really looking to move away, but we, we, my husband, unfortunately had a disagreement with all goals. And since you know, the only office building in Rohnert Park. Denise Briand: We had no choice but to. Denise Briand: Move our office to Santa Rosa, and so then that would be more convenient for us to just live in Santa Rosa. So I was gone from Roland Park for 37 years. Denise Briand: To see what's happened to it.

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Denise Briand: You know, it's just totally mind boggling to to go from this 3000 population to the traffic is just horrendous, you know, around the Expressway and what have you. Jeremy Hays: Yeah, I was going to ask you what it's like. Jeremy Hays: Being back I. Jeremy Hays: Mean is it other than the fact other than the traffic and all that? What's it like?

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Jeremy Hays: Being back in. Denise Briand: Well, I I I'm I. Denise Briand: Like living in Rohnert Park, actually. Denise Briand: I wasn't really looking to move back to Rohnert Park, but I wanted to move into a manufactured home community.

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Denise Briand: And I like the the Rancho Grande. So that was my my I was my reason for moving back. Jeremy Hays: Not everybody gets to grow spend, you know, live where there's a pool in the community park right nearby. Tom, can you talk to me about that? What that was like when you. Jeremy Hays: First moved there well. Denise Briand: So much of the planning of park can be attributed to Pete Peter Callahan, who who who was the.

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Denise Briand: City was our first city manager. Denise Briand: He was such a very bright man and he had to do. He had so much to do with the planning of Rohnert Park and with with every section. Having a park was so family oriented that each section would actually have its own park. Denise Briand: And and some have their own swimming pool. Denise Briand: You know, my children learned how to swim.

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Denise Briand: In the a section pool. Denise Briand: Which was, you know, if we were still in San Francisco, I don't think that you know those things would have been so available for us. And I like the fact that my children learned how to swim because I never really learned how to swim properly. Denise Briand: So it was just I I really was sad to move away from Rohnert Park, but. Denise Briand: Economically, it's what we had to do at.

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Jeremy Hays: That time, when was the first Founders incorporation happened? In 62? When was the first Founders Day parade? Denise Briand: I think it was in 62. Denise Briand: I think we had one right away, if I, if I remember correctly. Jeremy Hays: Rephrase that. I think we had.

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Jeremy Hays: The first family that carried right away. Denise Briand: Yeah, I think we had the first Founders Day soon after we incorporated. Denise Briand: The only photo I have is this one. That was the 2nd year that I participated in every single one we did participate. Jeremy Hays: And it must have been.

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Jeremy Hays: A A lot of work, but fun planning that that first parade kind of. Do you remember the feeling of it? Denise Briand: The ohh yes. As a matter of fact we we I do remember as I said this one one card that we decorated. We stayed up all night making the flowers and decorating the car. Denise Briand: And then we actually branched out from that and started joining entering the Rose parade as the Rohnert Park Women's Association and we won. We won the first prize trophy. Jeremy Hays: That must have been a proud day.

00:29:44.000 - 00:30:11.000

Denise Briand: Yes, it was we, our theme, our theme in that Rose Parade was I think it was fire prevention because that was somewhat the and we went, we went to the California. Denise Briand: Department of Forestry and they gave us the Smokey the bear costume and. Denise Briand: We had a really large woman that that was on was in the committee and so she would have Smokey the bear sitting on the back of. Denise Briand: This this car and we decorated and.

00:30:12.000 - 00:30:34.000

Denise Briand: We went from. Jeremy Hays: The I want to go back a bit to, you know, you talking when you started selling ads for the Rohnert Park press and how Rohnert Park didn't have the best reputation at the time. Nobody likes living in a place that doesn't have a good reputation. Can you talk to me about like, what that felt like? Denise Briand: Oh, to have that kind of reputation. Denise Briand: You know we're we're.

00:30:35.000 - 00:30:57.000

Denise Briand: People were moving out was difficult because. Denise Briand: You felt you felt like you had to defend it. You know? It's like, why do people? You know, why does Santa Rosa not like Rohnert Park? You know, we're just people like everybody else. But there would seem to be. Denise Briand: This hesitation of people wanting to do business with us if we lived in Luna Park. Denise Briand: So it was difficult for a while.

00:30:58.000 - 00:31:35.000

Denise Briand: You know, it was very difficult, but. Denise Briand: You know, we persevered. Jeremy Hays: I think I asked you your favorite memories, but I'd like to ask you, what are from your perspective in those first because you've been involved from the beginning. You know, what were some of the first, you know, two or three most important things that happened in the life of the city and, you know, in your first and in the. Jeremy Hays: Time you lived there.

00:31:36.000 - 00:32:18.000

Denise Briand: Well, I mean, for me the most important, I mean after you're talking about after we incorporated or I it was it was just the the feel of the community we were very we were very involved with everybody that was involved in the city being the on the Chamber of Commerce, the 2030 club. Denise Briand: We go to all the City Council meetings. We it was a very. Denise Briand: Community minded. Yeah, it was just fun. It was really nice to be involved in the start of something new. Jeremy Hays: I bet it was. Yeah, because you don't like I said early. You don't get that chance a lot, you know, especially in the city or a place where you live.

00:32:19.000 - 00:32:38.000

Jeremy Hays: Is there what things would you want? Jeremy Hays: You know, somebody asked you like me or or a a grandchild or somebody you just met and they wanted to know like. Jeremy Hays: About Rohnert Park in the other days, what are some of the things you really want them to know? Denise Briand: All the things I would want people to know about Rohnert Park.

00:32:39.000 - 00:33:08.000

Denise Briand: Is how well planned the city is and again. Denise Briand: I contribute this to the wonderful management of Peter Callahan. Denise Briand: I think it's a great place for families to live. Denise Briand: To this day, I think that it's been well planned and and even not just for children, but Rohnert Park has a wonderful Senior Center, one of the best in the county.

00:33:09.000 - 00:33:38.000

Denise Briand: They're there every single day for a lot of people that go there to rely on what whatever services they might need, or just to play cards or have a place to interact with other people. Denise Briand: They do. They do income taxes for senior citizens at, you know, at a. Denise Briand: For free. Jeremy Hays: Yeah. And. And what about from those early days? Is there anything you'd want people to know? What about what happened in the first? You know what the first days of the city, the first years of the city?

00:33:39.000 - 00:34:10.000

Denise Briand: Well, the first first years of the city. Denise Briand: Again, it was just a feeling of being a part of a community just starting up and being so active in all of our children. Denise Briand: Being involved in sports and swimming and it was it was just a wonderful way to live. Jeremy Hays: Yeah. What? What kind of people were living there? I mean, you said young people with families, but where there were, they like, service people, were they who? Who is moving to Summer Park, who was living there, who were?

00:34:11.000 - 00:34:38.000

Denise Briand: You getting to know the the people that lived in. Denise Briand: But to begin with, the young people were from all walks of life. Denise Briand: You could have mechanic living next door to you or like I would mentioned before, there was a beauty operator that started doing my hair to somebody who worked for a large corporation. Denise Briand: To people that commuted to San Francisco, you know, quite a few people did probably commute, you know, from there to San Francisco.

00:34:39.000 - 00:34:59.000

Denise Briand: Or work in Petaluma. So it was a lot of just a mix match of a lot of different occupations. Denise Briand: Most of the women at that time would stay at home. Denise Briand: Women and not working in the workplace. Jeremy Hays: But it sounds like most of the women, or many of the women also got involved with organizations. Yeah, yeah.

00:35:00.000 - 00:35:06.000

Denise Briand: Everybody. Yeah, they did, yeah. Jeremy Hays: And Denise, if you can try not. AF To say, as I said before. Denise Briand: Oh, OK.

00:35:07.000 - 00:35:17.000

AF It's happened a couple times. It's OK to repeat. AF Yourself. This is this no problem at all. Denise Briand: OK. Denise Briand: All right, I got you.

00:35:18.000 - 00:36:02.000

Jeremy Hays: Kind of an odd question, but did you meet in those early days? People in Winter Park, people who helped shape your life and and who were they? Denise Briand: Yes, actually I did meet people there that helped shape my life. My closest friend lived around the corner, and we're still friends to this day, 58 years later, we just went on a trip bus trip yesterday together to San Francisco. Our children grew up together. Denise Briand: We've never really been apart. You know, we might have lived in different areas at times, but we've always come back together again. So definitely. Denise Briand: If I didn't live in Rohnert Park, I would not have that friendship that I have today.

00:36:03.000 - 00:36:12.000

Jeremy Hays: Can you tell me? Jeremy Hays: How you met her? Jeremy Hays: You remember like. Denise Briand: Yeah, I met her to begin with because my husband sold she and her husband insurance.

00:36:13.000 - 00:36:48.000

Denise Briand: And then we started, started seeing each other socially. And actually we we became friends with Bob and Carol Caesar. Then on Caesar's market. So the the six of us became pretty much inseparable. Jeremy Hays: That is great because it makes me want to ask about seasons market. Can you tell me about season market and tell me about some of the other businesses that would run a park? Jeremy Hays: In the. Jeremy Hays: 1st in those early years.

00:36:49.000 - 00:37:22.000

Denise Briand: Well, it was the Caesar's market was the only market around that you could that you could go to. And then there was a Barber shop that opened up. Denise Briand: And then there was a dress, a clothing store by the name. It was called Liz Pat. Denise Briand: Gal. By the name of Liz Cochran and Pat Ryan opened up a clothing store together. In fact, Liz Cochran was the gal that was Smokey the bear. Denise Briand: And the Founders Day. Excuse me. The Santa Rosa rose parade.

00:37:23.000 - 00:37:53.000

Denise Briand: In fact, my and then my girlfriend, the one that still friends, we're still friends today. Denise Briand: She and another lady opened up a baby baby clothes store that, unfortunately, that that didn't go well. But the Liz Pat store seemed to survive pretty well. Denise Briand: Then Jimmy Rogers, you may have heard that name before. Denise Briand: Jimmy Rogers was a bread truck salesperson. He I think he was laying a door bread. I think if I'm not mistaken.

00:37:54.000 - 00:38:29.000

Denise Briand: And he decided to go in with somebody else and open a deli. Denise Briand: There, in the same shopping area, just down a little bit from ceaseless market, and that became it was manner delicatessen and that became pretty pretty successful. Denise Briand: And then he went into a partnership with a pizza parlor there. Denise Briand: And then Jimmy got his real estate license and went into real estate and became very successful as a developer in Rohnert Park. He became very wealthy.

00:38:30.000 - 00:38:48.000

Denise Briand: And we were friends with with Jimmy and his wife. Denise Briand: He belonged to the 2030 club and a lot of times the 2030 club would do functions where the where the wives were involved and so we did a lot of. Denise Briand: Things with that. Denise Briand: So yeah, he he became a real big part of Rohnert Park.

00:38:49.000 - 00:39:10.000

Jeremy Hays: Yeah, I remember I remember. Jeremy Hays: Did UM and that was a pizza kind of place as well, right? That they opened up? Yeah. Denise Briand: Yeah, there was a pizza place there. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Jeremy Hays: Well, I what about Sonoma State? Was that a big part of the city was how did it impact what was students like?

00:39:11.000 - 00:39:45.000

Denise Briand: I think it's no mistake. Was a big part of of of the developing of Rohnert Park. Denise Briand: Because the the future was that there was going to be quite a large university there and just a start up that of with that little apartment type of thing behind seasons market. But but the thought was that this was definitely going to be you know, a big part of. Denise Briand: Park at one at one point and it, and it did turn. Denise Briand: Out to be that way.

00:39:46.000 - 00:40:06.000

Denise Briand: The whole yes, the whole development of everything just coming together was it's really exciting. Jeremy Hays: Have you ever had an experience like that? Denise Briand: Have I ever had an experience like that since? Denise Briand: No, probably not.

00:40:07.000 - 00:40:17.000

Jeremy Hays: UM. Jeremy Hays: That does it for me. Unless there's anything you want to add, Denise. Denise Briand: Well, I think I've. Denise Briand: Hope I've given you some information that you didn't have before, I don't know.

00:40:18.000 - 00:40:29.000

Jeremy Hays: Yeah, yeah, you're doing great. Covered a lot of ground. Denise Briand: Thank you. Jeremy Hays: Yeah. No, I really appreciated your perspective. I'm looking forward to. Jeremy Hays: Seeing it on video.

00:40:30.000 - 00:40:38.000

Denise Briand: OK, yeah, the holidays works were pretty. Jeremy Hays: I did interview or. Denise Briand: Did you? Jeremy Hays: So that was.

00:40:39.000 - 00:40:43.000

Denise Briand: Great. Well, he lived. They lived next. Denise Briand: Door to me. Oh, really? Yeah. Jeremy Hays: Tell me about our holdings with as.

00:40:44.000 - 00:40:59.000

Jeremy Hays: A neighbor. He's terrific guy. Denise Briand: Are you sure? Denise Briand: And not only that, but many years later I I became after I my husband and I divorced, eventually and and. Denise Briand: And I became a farmer's agent, and he and art art hired me. He was my district manager.

00:41:00.000 - 00:41:13.000

Jeremy Hays: Yeah. And now Susan crushes there. Yeah, yeah. Denise Briand: I worked with season, but I oh gosh, I have a picture I could have brought. I took why didn't I think it out? Denise Briand: I'll send you a copy of it. It's a picture I took. Denise Briand: In my backyard.

00:41:14.000 - 00:41:25.000

Denise Briand: And it kind of looks like our game. Denise Briand: And it's Susan Hollingsworth and her brother Bob. The kids across the street, my two sons. Denise Briand: It's just it's a darling picture. Jeremy Hays: That would be great, yeah.

00:41:26.000 - 00:41:53.000

Jeremy Hays: I know that Andy, like the second phase of this project, that is, if the city decides to go forward with a second phase. Jeremy Hays: They're gonna make. It'll be like a book. Jeremy Hays: And so then Andy will definitely want to look at that, that original of that photograph and take, you know, caught scan it and that kind of thing. Jeremy Hays: So that would be great to, you know, keep in mind.

00:41:54.000 - 00:41:56.000

Jeremy Hays: So she'll get in touch with everybody. Denise Briand: OK.