Living Local Legend: Nina Atkins
Updated: Feb 13
Nina Atkins is a living local legend of Hot Springs, AR. A native to the City, she is the only child of her parents, George and Jacquelyn Atkins. Nina attended Hot Springs School District, and as a young elementary student, she was selected to integrate Rix Elementary School, a whites-only school at the time. She recalls many experiences while attending Rix, namely one rainy afternoon when she was forced to wait outside for her parents to pick her up, instead of being allowed to wait inside the school building.
Nina graduated from Hot Springs High School and went on to attend the University of Kentucky at Louisville where she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and was a member of the university's gospel choir, among other activities. Atkins graduated a semester early, with honors, before returning to her hometown of Hot Springs, where she spent the majority of her career as a Counselor of Rehabilitation, serving members of the community with disabilities in Arkansas and later in Texas.
She has recently retired after more than 30 years in the field, and has returned home to Hot Springs to enjoy her beloved family and grandchildren.
