Title supplied by cataloger. Rolland Joseph 'Speedy' Curtis was born in Louisiana in 1922. After serving in the Marines during World War II, he and his wife, Gloria, relocated from New Orleans to Los Angeles in 1946. Curtis served for four years with the Los Angeles Police Department, but resigned from the force in order to pursue both a Bachelor's and a 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. Councilman Billy Mills (left) greets two unidentified women from the community during the grand opening ceremonies for the White Front store, located at 7651 South Central Avenue. A sign attached to the door reads, "White Front Central - Grand Opening - Special Store-Hours - Thursday 10 am to 9 pm - Friday 10 am to 9 pm - Saturday 10 am to 9 pm - Sunday 11 am to 6 pm." The man facing the crowd (at right) is unidentified. The event occurred on March 30, 1967. See images 00053398; 000118760; and 00139487 through 00139497 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Mills, Billy G White Front (Firm) African American men Men African American women Women African American politicians Politicians County officials and employees City council members Discount houses (Retail trade) Department stores Stores & shops Dedications Signs and signboards Crowds Handshaking Smiling Los Angeles (Calif.)
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