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.; Thomas J. "Tom" Bradley (1917-1998) was a popular Los Angeles mayor that served in office from 1973-1993. Bradley's five-term tenure (20 years), marked the longest tenure by any mayor in Los Angeles city's history - surpassing Fletcher Bowron (15 years in office). Bradley's career started in 1940 when he joined the Los Angeles Police Department where in a short period of time, he reached the rank of lieutenant - the highest rank held by an African American police officer at the time. While working on the force, Bradley attended night school at Southwestern University School of Law, and in 1956 he passed his bar exam and received his law degree. From 1963-1972 Bradley served on the Los Angeles City Council - 10th District, and while in office, challenged incumbent mayor Sam Yorty for the 1969 mayoral seat, which he lost. He again ran in 1973, and this time successfully unseated Yorty to become the 38th Mayor of Los Angeles. Nine years after his mayoral win, in 1982 and again in 1986, Bradley ran for Governor of California, but was defeated both times by Republican George Deukmejian. During his record-breaking tenure, Mayor Bradley hosted the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, was a driving force behind construction of the Los Angeles' light rail network, pushed for the expansion of Los Angeles International Airport and the development of the terminals in use today, and was elected for a fifth mayoral term in 1989. He chose to leave office in 1993, rather than seek election to a sixth term. In 1996 Bradley suffered a heart attack and underwent triple bypass surgery; the following day he suffered a stroke which left him unable to speak clearly for the rest of his life, and his condition limited his public appearances. Sadly, in 1998 at the age of 80, Tom Bradley suffered a fatal heart attack while at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. He is interred in Inglewood Park Cemetery. Mayor Bradley was the first - and to date the only - African American mayor of this city.; The massive 500-room Ambassador Hotel, designed by renowned architect Myron Hunt, opened for business in 1921 on the site of a former dairy farm. It occupied 23.7 acres at 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, bordered by 8th Street, Catalina Street, and nearly to Mariposa Avenue. The hotel served as the stomping grounds for a staggering list of Hollywood legends, heads of state, and an endless list of famous personalities from the 20th Century. It was also home of The Cocoanut Grove nightclub, which was 'the' West Coast hot spot for live entertainment where people like Bing Crosby and Barbra Streisand got their start, and Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and many others came to perform. It is said that as many as seven U.S. Presidents stayed at the Ambassador, from Hoover to Nixon, along with heads of state from around the world. A pivotal moment in world history happened in 1968, when Robert F. Kennedy was shot in a pantry off of the Embassy Room (and died 25 hours later), following his California Primary victory speech. The death of RFK coincided with the beginning of the hotel's demise. The Schine family had owned the Ambassador for about 50 years, until its doors were closed on January 3, 1989 after 68 years of service, selling for $64 million. The landmark hotel was eventually demolished between late 2005 and early 2006.; B'nai B'rith is the largest and oldest Jewish service organization in the world, rooted in defending human rights, intercultural relations, public policy, the position of Israel, Senior advocacy and housing, etc. Established in 1843 in New York's Lower East Side by 12 German-Jewish immigrants in response to "the deplorable condition of Jews" in the United States. The name translates to "Children of the Covenant", orignally named "Bundes-Bruder" (German for "Brothers of the Covenant"), which is made up of fraternal lodges, women chapters and youth chapters in countries all over the world. The organization serves as a vital voice in advocating for global Jewry and promoting Jewish unity and continuity by conferring with government leaders on issues affecting Jews throughout the world. Their headquarters is located in Lafayette Centre at 1120 20th St NW, #300n, Washington, DC 20036. Photograph depicts guests of the 'Mr. and Mrs. American Citizen of the Year' award at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub inside the Ambassador Hotel. Pictured at center is City Councilman Tom Bradley and wife Ethel Bradley smiling as they make their way through a crowd of guests. The 'Mr. and Mrs. American Citizen of the Year' award was presented to Rosalind Wiener Wyman and Eugene L. Wyman by the B'nai B'rith - Los Angeles Lodge No. 487. Photograph dated April 12, 1964. See images 00119191; 00119774 through 00119777; 00134147, 00134148; and 00138641 through 0013680 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Bradley, Tom,--1917-1998 Bradley, Tom,--1917-1998--Family Ambassador Hotel Cocoanut Grove (Los Angeles, Calif.) B'nai B'rith.--Los Angeles Lodge No. 487 Lost architecture Hotels Nightclubs Associations, institutions, etc Award presentations City council members African American politicians African American men African American women Husband and wife Women Men Chandeliers Crowds Los Angeles (Calif.)
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