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.; Elected in 1963, Billy G. Mills (1929-) was the third African American to serve on the Los Angeles City Council, a seat he held until 1974 when he became a Los Angeles Superior Court judge. He was the first African American chairman of the Democratic County Central Committee, winning over fellow Councilman Tom Bradley by just three votes. Councilman Billy Mills is pictured standing next to his Executive Secretary, Flossie Burnley, who is sitting behind her desk with pen in hand and an open notebook in front of her as they both smile for the camera. Mrs. Burnley is the first African American in the city's history to be appointed executive assistant to a council member. She joined Mills' staff in 1963 and worked her way up from senior clerk stenographer, to assistant secretary, to executive secretary; she was appointed Executive Secretary to Councilman Mills on February 16, 1967. This photo appeared in the Southwest Topics-Wave newspaper on March 2, 1967. The caption read, "FIRST IN CITY HISTORY: Mrs. Flossie Burnley, executive secretary to Councilman Billy G. Mills, is the first Negro in the city's history to serve as top secretary to a Los Angeles city councilman. Mrs. Burnley, 27, has been a city employee for 9 1/2 years. She began her career in civil service shortly after she was graduated from Thomas Jefferson high school. At Jefferson she was secretary of the student council, president of the Girls' league and the Girls' Athletic association." Photograph circa 1967. See images 00128933 through 00128937 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Mills, Billy G Los Angeles City Hall (Los Angeles, Calif.) African American men Men African American women Women African American politicians Politicians City council members Secretaries City halls Office furniture Offices Desks Nameplates (Plaques) Typewriters Paperwork (Office practice) Telephones Pearl jewelry Posing Smiling Los Angeles (Calif.)
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