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.; Samuel William Yorty (October 1, 1909 – June 5, 1998) was an American politician, attorney, and radio host from Los Angeles, California. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and the California State Assembly, but he is most remembered for his turbulent three terms as the 37th Mayor of Los Angeles from 1961 to 1973. Though Yorty spent almost all of his political career as a Democrat, he became a Republican in 1980. View of the 2nd annual Watts Christmas Parade, held on December 10, 1966 which ran along Central Avenue from El Segundo Boulevard. Pictured is Mayor Sam Yorty, his wife Betty (behind him), and an unidentified man standing in the back seat of a Chevrolet Impala automobile as it travels along the parade route. The driver and passenger in the front seat are unidentified, and a sign reading, "Sam Yorty Mayor" is taped to the driver's side door. A large crowd of spectators are gathered along the street and a group of young men can be seen sitting on the roof of a building. 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
Yorty, Sam,--1909-1998 Yorty, Elizabeth Los Angeles (Calif.).--City Council--Officials and employees African American men Men African American women Women African American boys Boys African American girls Girls African American children Children Mayors Civic leaders Politicians' spouses Husband and wife Couples Parades Christmas--Miscellanea Storefronts Stores & shops Spectators Automobiles, Convertible Automobiles Signs and signboards Streets Smiling Watts (Los Angeles, Calif.)
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