Title supplied by cataloger. Rolland Joseph 'Speedy' Curtis was born in Louisiana in 1922. After serving in the Marines during World War II, he and his wife, Gloria, relocated from New Orleans to Los Angeles in 1946. Curtis served for four years with the Los Angeles Police Department, but resigned from the force in order to pursue both a Bachelor's and a 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. Benny Carter (standing, on left) leads a 31-piece orchestra during a concert at the Forum to benefit Councilman Billy Mills' campaign for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Carter, famed bandleader, composer and jazz saxophonist, was one of the musical directors for this show. The Forum is located at 3900 West Manchester Blvd. in the city of Inglewood. The event occurred on May 11, 1968. See images 00118764; and 00139498 through 00139520 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Carter, Benny,--1907-2003 Forum (Inglewood, Calif.) African American men Men African American conductors (Music) Conductors (Music) African American jazz musicians Jazz musicians Musicians Musical instruments Sheet music Orchestras Concerts Arenas Political campaigns Fund raising Smiling Inglewood (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.
