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. A Los Angeles City Hall staff member (left) and a young female student (both unidentified) can be seen in council chambers during the annual "Girls Day in Government" event. Council member Billy Mills is seated at the right and a group of adults can be seen seated in the background. "Girls Day in Government" was an annual program where outstanding female high school students were selected to spend a day in public office. Photograph circa 1964. See images 00125469; 00128516, 00128517; 00130040, 00130041; and 00143534 through 00143554 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Mills, Billy G Los Angeles City Hall (Los Angeles, Calif.) African American men Men African American young women Young women African American politicians Politicians City council members High school student activities High school students Student government Teenage girls Students City councils City halls Audiences Microphones Posing Smiling Los Angeles (Calif.)
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