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. Flossie Burnley (left), Executive Secretary to City Councilman Billy Mills (not pictured) is sitting at her desk, chatting with unidentified visitors to Los Angeles City Hall. Ruby Williams, also a member of Mills' staff, is seen seated at the desk on the far right. Mrs. Burnley is the first African American in the city's history to be appointed executive assistant to a council member. She joined Mills' staff in 1963 and worked her way up from senior clerk stenographer, to assistant secretary, to executive secretary. Photograph circa 1967. See images 00128658 through 00128660; 00128915 through 00128926, and 00143637 through 00143641 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Los Angeles City Hall (Los Angeles, Calif.) African American men Men African American women Women Secretaries Clerks City halls Office buildings Office furniture Offices Paperwork (Office practice) Desks Typewriters Telephones Nameplates (Plaques) Smiling Los Angeles (Calif.)
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