May 25, 1940 – April 16, 2024
Pioneering businesswoman Billie R. Cahill passed away in Torrance, California, on April 16. Born in Kansas City, Kansas, Billie’s family moved to Los Angeles where she graduated from Manual Arts High School in 1958 and attended Los Angeles City College.
The first African American hired at American Airlines through John F. Kennedy’s Fair Employment Act, Billie went on to work for Wilt Chamberlain managing his travel agency before becoming the travel coordinator at Motown Records.
She eventually opening up her travel agency, Miracle Mile Travel, one of the few black-owned businesses on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles and Palos Verdes Travel in Palos Verdes Estates. Billie also taught travel at West Los Angeles College and her alma mater, Los Angeles City College, in a career spanning over forty years.
Billie, the niece-in-law of L.A. Sentinel founder Leon H. Washington, is survived by her three adult children, four grandchildren, and a host of family and friends worldwide. A private ceremony will be held at the South Coast Botanic Gardens in Torrance, California.
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