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. Jazz musician Joe Lutcher is honored with a Los Angeles City Council proclamation, presented by Rosalind Wiener Wyman and, Billy Mills as his family watches.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w;10x13 cm. Photographic prints
Wyman, Rosalind Wiener Mills, Billy G Lutcher, Joe Musicians--United States City council members--California--Los Angeles Women city council members--California--Los Angeles Proclamations Microphones Women--California--Los Angeles Men--California--Los Angeles Group portraits Portrait photographs
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.