Helen Atkinson graduated from Fairbanks High School. She was the first woman to graduate from the University of Alaska with a degree in Civil Engineering. Atkinson worked for the Fairbanks Exploration Company after graduation, completing maps, drill logs, and engineering reports. During World War II, Atkinson worked for Boeing Airplane Company in Seattle, attended vocational school to study aircraft engines, and learned to fly. She later became building inspector for the city of Fairbanks and later was the city engineer.
Atkinson began freelance writing in 1959, reporting and publishing on the oil industry in Alaska. She edited and published the "Alaska Oil Reports," and several of her stories about oil exploration and discovery were published in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
From the guide to the Helen L. Atkinson Papers, 1933-1993, (University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska Polar Regions Collections & Archives)
