Memorial service for Thomas Atkins

A memorial service for Thomas I. Atkins, the first black elected to an at-large seat on the Boston City Council, will be held at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow in Rabb Auditorium at the Copley branch of the Boston Public Library.

Mr. Atkins, who took a lead role during the busing crisis as Boston's schools were desegregated, died June 27 in Brooklyn, N.Y., of complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He was 69.

Along with being the first black candidate elected in a citywide race, he was the first African-American to hold a state Cabinet post. Mr. Atkins also formerly led Boston's NAACP chapter and was lead lawyer for the organization nationally.