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. Pictured are three unidentified African American men posing together at a holiday party, each holding a gift. A white Christmas tree and a couple of party attendees can be seen behind them in the background. Photograph circa 1965. See images 00119486, 00119487, 00120189, 00138060 and 00138061 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print : b&w ; x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
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