Thurman Tomas Atkins

Born in 1916, Thurman Atkins grew up in the Mt. Sinai Road community, north east of Chapel Hill. Prior to serving in the U. S. Army in the 7th Army, he worked for the university at the Carolina Inn. When he returned from World War II, he decided to start a cab company. Without a building to set up his business, he started in his car in front of a phone booth on Franklin Street where he handed out business cards for people to call if they needed a taxi. His business became the Hollywood Cab Company in 1946.

In 1947, Atkins acquired a property on Franklin Street (411 West Franklin Street). There he built a restaurant with an addition for the cab stand. He also started a trucking company and purchased the (formerly white-owned) Carolina Cab Company and merged it with his Hollywood Cab Company in late 1961.

He also purchased land to build homes and apartments for those in need in the Northside, Pine Knolls, and Carrboro areas, and in Durham.

Thurman Atkins died at the hospital in Chapel Hill on October 23, 1978. He is buried in the Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery.

(Much of the information above and several of the photos are from chapelhillhistory.org/trailblazers/thurman-atkins)