Chapters include:
This volume is the first of three. The others will describe Davis in its larger context and Davis community life. Published 2000 by the National Housing Register, 216 F Street, PMB 17, Davis, CA 95616.
This book may be purchased:
- Davis Area Chamber of Commerce
- Davis Downtown Business Association (DDBA)
- Davis Food Co-op
- Newsbeat
- UCD Bookstore
- Telephone orders: 530-757-6403
- Mail orders: Use the form below.
Review – Elisabeth Sherwin, Columnist, Davis Enterprise, Sunday, September 11, 2000Diemer looks at Davis inside and out in new almanac
"Davis from the Inside Out: A Municipal Almanac" is the brainchild of Bill Diemer, a Davis resident who has capitalized on the fact that Davis takes its controversies seriously.When Diemer moved to Davis 10 years ago, he discovered that people here had a lot of opinions, but not necessarily a lot of facts to back up those opinions. "I discovered that population growth was a big issue in Davis," said Diemer. "I thought I could help by giving people facts and figures. From there I got interested in expanding beyond population figures to data about growth, land area, political figures, election results and more."
The result is the first in a projected three-volume set. The second and third volumes will look at "Davis as a Community" and "Davis in Context" and will include more information about school board elections and will compare Davis to Yolo County as a whole.
An almanac, says Diemer, is a book of facts and figures without interpretation or opinion. Presumably, though, it will help people buttress their arguments.
Diemer held a book-signing Thursday, September 7 at the University Retirement Community and generously included many of the people who helped him with the book in terms of administration (Scott McCord) or research (Tom Randall, Jr. and Lisolette Fajardo) or source material (books by historians Joann Leach Larkey and Shipley Walters plus data provided by longtime Davis Enterprise editor Debbie Davis).
Larkey is the author of "Davisville '68," the first local history book, which was commissioned by the city of Davis. It was used extensively in preparing the chronology section of the history chapter in "Davis from the Inside Out." "Yolo County: Land of Changing Patterns" by Larkey and Shipley Walters was another primary source also used in preparing the chronology section of the history section. "Those Who Make Memories" is a collection of biographies of about 150 people who shaped Davis. This was published by The Davis Enterprise in 1996. The biographies were condensed and included in the almanac.
Diemer, 76, is a graduate of the University of Chicago who earned his degree in education. He spent the last 17 years of his career crunching numbers for the city of Los Angeles as a demographics expert. But when he and his wife, Doris, moved to Davis in 1990, he found himself at loose ends. He got involved with Davis Community Network and began to ride his bike on the flat streets of Davis. He also joined the Davis Neighborhood Salon, an informal group of older folks concerned with local issues.
At this time, feelings in the group were running high over the question of widening the Richards Boulevard underpass. This led to discussion of other growth issues. "Feelings were running very high over local issues," said Diemer. "I felt that if they had the facts they would be able to make better decisions."
And since he was looking for a project, Diemer decided to put together the almanac. Now he doesn't really care how people use the information. "My attitude is: Look at all this neat information I have found," he said.
Longtime Davis resident Jim Saum agrees. Saum bought a copy of the almanac at the booksigning and later said he was glad to have it in his library. "I was really impressed with the fantastic amount of detail," said Saum.
The project took Diemer and his assistants about three years to complete. "It took so long to publish the first volume that I decided to put out a second and third," Diemer said. He has no shortage of information on Davis' community organizations, schools and religious groups. He mentally rubs his hands together at the thought of comparing all that data to the county of Yolo, the city of Sacramento, and the state of California.
Diemer self-published this book. The first run of 2,000 copies has been delivered to his home and he's eager to make copies available to whomever would like one. For $22 he will mail a copy of the book anywhere in the United States. To order, send a check to Bill Diemer at 216 F Street, PMB 17, Davis, CA 95616 or look for copies on sale at various Davis locations
"The project gave meaning to my life," he said. "I think and hope it will be of value to the people of Davis."
Davis from the Inside Out
A Municipal Almanac
Vol. 1: Davis As City
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