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 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. View of the 2nd annual Watts Christmas Parade, held on December 10, 1966 which ran along Central Avenue from El Segundo Boulevard. Pictured are parade Queen Pat McLamore and Grand Marshall Bill Cosby (partially visible) who are seated atop the backseat of a convertible automobile, waving to the crowd while traveling along the parade route. A sign reading, "Bill Cosby - Grand Marshal - 'I SPY'" is taped to the driver's side door. A large crowd of spectators has gathered along the street and a group of young men can be seen sitting on the roof of a building housing the Astro Teen Post, located at 11408 S. Central Avenue. See images 00053373; 00053409; 00053433; 00119205, 00119206; 00125550; 00128938; and 00141769 through 00141796 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Cosby, Bill,--1937- African American men Men African American women Women African American boys Boys African American girls Girls African American children Children Television actors and actresses Actors Comedians Queens Tiaras Gloves Parades Christmas--Miscellanea Spectators Automobiles, Convertible Automobiles Signs and signboards Storefronts Stores & shops Streets Smiling Watts (Los Angeles, Calif.)
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
