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Thomas "Tommy" Hills papers

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.MSS1263

Scope and Contents

This collection includes banking records of Wachovia and SunTrust banks and interviews Thomas Hills collected for Georgia State University as a graduate student. The bulk of the material includes bank publications, annual reports, pamphlets, correspondence, minutes, brochures, and articles. Of particular note are documents pertaining to the merger of Wachovia Bank with First Union Bank in 2001 as well as two bank stock certificates. The intereviews Hills conducted are with with business and civil rights leader Jesse Hill, Jr (1927-2012); former mayor of Atlanta Sam Massell (1927-2022); former director of budget at MARTA Ron Nawrocki; lawyer W. Stell Huie (1930- ); businessman Rawson Haverty (1920-2007); civi leader Lyndon Wade ( -2017); and former MARTA general manager Kenneth Gregor (1940- ) about the history of MARTA for Georgia State University.

Dates

  • 1861-2009, undated
  • Majority of material found in 1965-2001

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.

Biographical / Historical

Thomas “Tommy” Hills (1945- ) was born to Richard A. Hills (1908-1955) and Doris Dunn (1918- ) in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from the Westminster school in Atlanta, Georgia; from Emory University in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Pre-Law; and from Emory Law School with a Juris Doctorate. Hills began his career in banking in 1965 at First National Bank of Atlanta where he rose to senior vice president; later, he worked at Wachovia as Atlanta regional president. In 2004 he graduated from Georgia State University with a Master of Arts in Southern History. From 2003 to 2010, Hills served as chief financial officer of Georgia and was selected as state treasurer in 2010. In addition, he conducted an audit of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and served as the Woodruff Arts Center's campaign coordinator from 2012 to 2013. Hills also served on boards of the Atlanta Opera, Georgia Financing and Investment Commission, Georgia Council on Economic Education, Georgia National Historic Register Review, and Atlanta Historical Society.

Extent

5.42 linear ft. (nine document cases and one oversized folder)

Language

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically by titles supplied by staff.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Audio recordings were made on audiocassette tapes. Patrons requesting access to the recordings must use the linked digital copies available at https://album.atlantahistorycenter.com/digital/collection/p17222coll24

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, 2020

Bias in Description

As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information. We choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, and bias is reflected in our descriptions, which may not accurately convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materials. Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment. In working with this collection, we often re-use language used by the former owners of the material. This language provides context but often includes bias and prejudices reflective of the time in which it was created. The Kenan Research Center’s work is ongoing to implement reparative language where Library of Congress subject terms are inaccurate and obsolete. 

Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or descriptions, please let us know by emailing reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.

Processing Information

This collection was processed in 2023.

Title
Thomas "Tommy" Hills papers
Author
Serena McCracken
Date
2022
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040