Rolland J. Curtis ("Speedy" to his friends) moved to Los Angeles from Louisiana in 1942, and 1960 joined the LAPD, which is where he met Tom Bradley. In 1964, shortly after Bradley was elected to the City Council, Curtis joined his staff as Field Deputy, and then Billy G. Mills' staff in 1967. Curtis was murdered in his home in 1979 after spending the day delivering Mother's Day bouquets to the community. An obituary in the Los Angeles Sentinel recalls, "Whenever there was a community affair, 'Speedy' would be seen right down the front, sometimes taking pictures with his huge view camera, or sometimes just there to lend his support to community projects. But he was always there and he always had a smile."; Photograph included in the Exhibit: Firsts, Seconds and Thirds: African American Leaders in Los Angeles During the 1960s and '70s from the Rolland J. Curtis Collection. Self-portrait of Rolland Curtis, taken at an unidentified location in Los Angeles.
Type
image
Format
1 negative :safety ;10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
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