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. Two young boys link arms in front of a Mobil Service Station located at 2121 S. Arlington Avenue. A service station attendant is visible in the background and a car is being serviced on the far right. The attendant and the boys are unidentified. Photograph circa 1969. See images 00121987 through 00121990; 00122001, 00122002; 00122016, and 00139923 through 00139952 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Mobil Oil Corporation--Employees Mobil Oil Corporation African American men Men African American boys Boys African American children Children Corporations Service stations--Equipment and supplies Service stations Employees Gasoline supply Gasoline Automobiles Garages Signs and signboards Signs and symbols Smiling Posing Los Angeles (Calif.)
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