He was born on April 2, 1946, in Modesto, California, and became a native of Atlanta, Georgia.
When he was three years old, his parents, U.S. Navy Sailor Robert and Mary Brown Atkins, relocated their family from California to Georgia in 1949.
Price High School, he was an exceptional player in three sports, baseball, basketball, and football.
Atkins received recognition from Houston’s Third-Ward Community for his exemplary volunteer service rendered to the Professional United Leadership League (PULL).
He worked seven years at PULL with inner-city teens for whom he was a big brother and counselor.
He was commended for scholarly presentations in his fields of expertise at both state and national levels.