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.; Marguerite Justice (1921-2009) was appointed to the Los Angeles Police Commission in 1971, becoming the second woman, and the first African American woman, to be named to the commission. Justice, or "Mama J" as she was affectionately called, was well-regarded as a great supporter of the LAPD, and for her extensive community work. Sergeant Joe Johnson of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and Marguerite Justice are pictured during an awards ceremony and salute dinner which was held in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hills Hilton on October 20, 1969. Ms. Justice is wearing a paper badge with her name and badge number "2298", and is holding what appears to be a gift of a transistor radio. The American flag is partially visible behind them. See images 00128433 through 00128435, and 00143444 through 00143456 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 color negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Justice, Marguerite P.--1921-2009 Beverly Hilton Hotel (Beverly Hills, Calif.) Los Angeles (Calif.).--Police Department--Officials and employees African American men Men African American women Women Police Police--Awards Award presentations Hotels Ballrooms Flags Transistor radios Gifts Smiling Posing Beverly Hills (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.
