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. Pictured are (left to right) Bishop R.E. Alexander, an unidentified woman wearing a fur stole, and an unidentified man presenting Councilman Billy Mills a plaque, as several others who are visible in the background watch the exchange during the Christmas Festival Sing-Along, which was held at the Denker Recreation Center, located at 1550 W. 35th Place. The Sing-Along was a three-day festival scheduled from Dec. 22 through Dec. 24 that was attended by singing groups from all over the city. The unusual festival, which sponsors hoped to make an annual event, was coordinated by the Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church and Bishop R. E. Alexander of the church. See images 00119148 through 00119151; 00130233, 00130234, 00130240; and 00137955 through 00137973 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Mills, Billy G Christmas--Miscellanea Christmas Festivals Choral singing Singers Singing City council members African American men Bishops Clergy Men Plaques, plaquettes 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.
