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. Councilmember Billy Mills (center) is pictured shaking hands with Boy Scout Explorer James Brown (left), as an unidentified man who may possibly be Brown's family member stands on the right looking on. James Brown, age 17, received a commendation for his "outstanding feat of courage" during the Baldwin Hills Dam flood disaster. According to the City Council meeting notes, "...he entered the flood waters three times and saved the lives of three people trapped in stalled cars." The award ceremony took place on April 2, 1964. See images 00128518 through 00128522, and 00143555 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Mills, Billy G Boy Scouts of America Los Angeles City Hall (Los Angeles, Calif.) African American men Men African American young men Young men African American politicians Politicians City council members City halls Associations, institutions, etc Boys--Societies and clubs Clubs Explorers (Boy Scouts) Teenage boys Rescues Award winners Awards Medals Badges Uniforms Handshaking Smiling Los Angeles (Calif.)
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