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 in City Council chambers working with Manual Arts High School senior student Gloria Wright, who served as Council Member representative for the 8th District as part of Girls Day in Government at Los Angeles City Hall. "Girls Day in Government" is an annual program sponsored by the city school district and Los Angeles City Hall to expose high school girls to the workings of municipal government. Regarding her interest in politics and participation in Girls Day, Ms. Wright stated, "Councilman Mills came to Manual [Arts High School] once, and I thought he was a very good man." The event took place in April, 1971. See images 00128929 through 00128932, and 00143652 through 00143661 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.) Manual Arts High School (Los Angeles, Calif.)--Students African American men Men African American young women Women City council members City councils City halls High school student activities High school students Student government Teenage girls Students Desks Paperwork (Office practice) Name tags Microphones Smiling 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.
