A Pardi Market photo from the past. Photo courtesy of Dixon Historical Society

DIXON, CA (MPG) - The Dixon Historical Society was honored to have John Fong’s oldest son, Carl Fong, speak about his memories of when his father, John Fong, had owned Pardi Market, here in Dixon. This is the third part and end of the series on the family.

The Pardi Market sold in 1990, they believe, and the store later closed. Carl’s mom, Amy Fong, and Jerry Louie’s wife owned the land and sold it back to the City of Dixon. Carl was unaware that the family still owned the land until the family received a weed abatement letter from the City.

The strong work ethic of John was passed on to all his children. Carl Fong is the chief technology officer for the Information Technology Division at the Orange County Department of Education, has a doctorate in business, and serves on various technology committees. Helen worked for HP and retired and started her own consulting company: HM3 Group. Carmon works in Perris for the Essendant Company. Carleton graduated from UC Davis with a B.A. in food science, and later became a chemist in the Army Corp of Engineers. Arlene works for the State of California as an information technology specialist II.  Darlene, after graduating college, became a CPA. She moved around to different companies and ended up retiring from Google in May 2022.

One guest attending the presentation asked, “What do you think of the idea of the Pardi Plaza?” Carl likes the plaza because it pays homage to what was there. He remembers Kim and Ned’s, Dixon Florist, First Northern Bank, Dixon Tribune newspaper and the police department in the alley behind it. Carl said that the plaza is very important to keep the history of that area alive. The city will continue to change, and people will forget. The Dixon Historical Society, along with the City of Dixon, have included a picture of the Pardi Market as one of the fifty historical photos that will be a part of the permanent display at the Pardi Plaza in 2024.

John Fong was such a beloved member of Dixon that in 1972 he was named Citizen of the Year, and his family was invited to ride in the parade. Carl, Carleton, and Darlene remember their mom sewing and buying six new outfits for each of the Fong children for this special day. The Fong Family was taught to work hard and work long hours, and John Fong did just that.  He believed that everyone was the same, and he treated them all with respect. He felt that George Pardi had given him the opportunity to do what he wanted and run the store as part of the Independent Grocer Association. There was so much trust. John Fong sadly passed away on December 18, 1997.

The Dixon Historical Society plans to post a video recording of the Fong Family Presentation to their website and YouTube channel in the not so distant future. See more at: www.dixonhistoricalsociety.org.