Curtis, Rolland J
Description
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.Pictured, from left to right are, Don 'Chief Rolling Thunder' Fisher, 'Iron Eyes' Cody and Chief George Pierre, who appears to have presented a peace pipe mounted on a plaque to a man only identified as a Buffalo Soldier performer. Two other unidentified men stand to the right, one wearing a suit and the other wearing Native American clothing with a ribbon that reads, 'Official' pinned to his shirt. A horse and a large tepee are visible behind them. The All American Indian Week festival, which featured many arts and crafts demonstrations, Indian lore displays, war dance contests, a horse show and an authentic teepee village, to name a few...
Image
Made accessible through a grant from the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation
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