Title supplied by cataloger. Rolland Joseph 'Speedy' Curtis was born in Louisiana in 1922. After serving three years in the Marines during World War II, he and his wife, Gloria, relocated from New Orleans to Los Angeles in 1946. Curtis served for four years with the Los Angeles Police Department, but resigned from the force in order to pursue both a Bachelor's and Master's Degree from USC. He later became involved in city politics, as an associate of Sam Yorty, and later a field deputy to City Council members Billy Mills and Tom Bradley. He was briefly director of the Model Cities program in 1973. Rolland J. Curtis died in his home in 1979, the victim of a homicide. An affordable housing complex on Exposition Blvd. near Vermont Ave. was named in his honor in 1981, along with a nearby street and park.; The Bank of Finance was the first African American organized bank in California. Opened in 1964, it catered to small businesses in the community. During its time, it nursed local businesses to fruition and provided financial assistance for necessary community resources like medical centers, day cares, and homes for the elderly. Members of the organizing committee included Dr. Edward H. Ballard, Dr. Perry W. Beal, Wilton A. Clarke, Onie B. Granville, Mrs. Bernice M. Malbrue, Tom Bradley and Lorenzo V. Spencer. Both the bank building at 2651 S. Western Avenue and a branch opened at 8420 S. Vermont in 1968 have since been demolished. Reverend H. H. Brookins, pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (First A.M.E.), speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Bank of Finance building at 2651 S. Western Boulevard on January 5, 1964. Councilman Tom Bradley, a member of the bank's organizing committee, is seated behind him to the right. Photograph dated 1964. See images 00120160 through 00120172; and 00138686 through 00138688 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Brookins, H. Hartford Bradley, Tom,--1917-1998 Bank of Finance (Los Angeles, Calif.) Ground breaking ceremonies Building sites Banks and banking African American banks Bank directors Clergy Civil rights leaders City council members Politicians African American clergy African American politicians African American business people African Americans African American men African American women Men Women Audiences Public speaking Apartments Marquees South Los Angeles (Los Angeles, Calif.)
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