Title created 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. Los Angeles City Councilman Billy Mills is seen sitting atop a convertible car waving to a crowd of men, women and children standing on the sidewalk during an unidentified parade. A sign taped to the side of the car reads, "Billy Mills, Councilman, 8th Dist." The child sitting next to him may be his son, and the woman driving the parade vehicle is unidentified. Photograph circa 1968. See images 00128592, 00128593, and 00143609 through 00143616 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Mills, Billy G African American men Men African American women Women African American children Children African American boys Boys Fathers and sons African American politicians Politicians City council members Automobiles, Convertible Chauffeurs Parades Spectators Crowds Signs and signboards Smiling Los Angeles (Calif.)
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