Series I. BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL, 1938-2013 (#1.1-30.10, FD.1, E.1-E.6)

Series I, BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL, 1938-2013 (#1.1-30.10, FD.1. E.1-E.6), includes correspondence, financial records, notes, calendars, etc., documenting Atkinson's financial difficulties, health problems, family relationships, her student work, and her role as a cat owner and breeder. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Materials relating to Atkinson's family consist mainly of correspondence with her parents, Thelma and Francis Atkinson, and her sisters, Robin Atkinson Carter, Thelma "Temi" Atkinson Johnson, Frances "Frani" Gay Atkinson Vanni, and Mary Wynne Atkinson Tinsley. Letters document Atkinson's often strained relationship with members of her family, particularly her mother and sister Mary Wynne, and her close relationship with her sisters Robin and Frani Gay. In 1981, Atkinson's mother suffered a stroke and was in a vegetative state until her death in 1984. Atkinson believed her mother would not have wanted to be kept alive in that state and blamed her father and sister, Mary Wynne, for keeping Thelma alive. Robin agreed with Atkinson and their letters from that period are focused on their mother's health and living situation. Also included among family materials are financial documents and correspondence relating to Thelma and Francis's estate, as well as the estate of Thelma's mother, Grace Broadus. Atkinson believed that there were objects from both estates that she was owed, but never received and materials focus on her efforts to retrieve the objects.

Financial documents include tax documents, bank statements, bills, payment overdue notices, correspondence from debt collection agencies, and student loan statements, documenting Atkinson's life-long struggle to earn a living while devoting herself to social justice causes and her academic pursuits. Following her divorce, Atkinson struggled to manage her finances and became indebted to several companies. She worked her way out of debt, but as she devoted more of her time to her feminist and political causes, she again found herself deeply in debt. In the 1980s, Atkinson determined that in to survive she needed to complete her PhD in philosophy. During this time, she worked at several universities as an adjunct professor, low paying jobs that offered little security and few benefits. Several unexpected health issues, including a car accident in the early 1990s and a fall on an icy sidewalk in the 2000s, left Atkinson unable to work for periods of time, adding to her financial difficulties. Adding to the strain was the increased cost of education, which Atkinson paid for with student loans. Records document the extent of Atkinson's debt, as well as her attempts to manage her finances with budgets prioritizing expenses; financial assistance she received from friends; her work with debt advisors; and government assistance she received, including welfare and unemployment.

Files concerning Atkinson's health include correspondence, medical records, notes, etc., relating to medical events suffered by Atkinson, including a 1978 hysterectomy and her 2007 recovery from a broken hip, as well as ongoing health issues such as allergies and dieting. Also included are correspondence, notes, and legal documents relating to Atkinson's participation in the Hanford Nuclear Reservation Litigation, asserting her belief that living near the Hanford Site as a child led to thyroid disease as an adult.

A long time cat lover, Atkinson founded a cattery, Ti-Grace's Cattery, in the early 1990s. Most business records for the cattery can be found among Atkinson's general financial documents. Materials filed under cats include correspondence with other cat owners and breeders concerning possible breeding matches; correspondence about cat health problems and remedies, including surrounding birthing and genetic kidney ailments; pedigree charts created by Atkinson; award certificates and ribbons from cat shows; etc. Files document Atkinson's knowledge of cat pedigrees and genetic disorders, her affection for cats, and her advocacy for the proper care of cats by their owners.