Warren Holleman remembers when Apex and Holly Springs had a combined population of less than 2000 people! And when he graduated from Apex High School in 1973, there were 99 students in his class. Warren went on to earn degrees from Harvard College, Rice University, and Baylor College of Medicine. He spent his career in the Texas Medical Center and recently retired as Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

 

While Warren’s career has taken him to Houston, his heart has always been in western Wake County. Today he enjoys retelling the stories he heard from his father and uncles while hunting, fishing, and exploring in and around the family homeplace in the Holleman’s Crossroads community southwest of Holly Springs. He and his brother Toby are the authors of Pluck, Perseverance and Paint: Apex, North Carolina: Beginnings to 1941. Byron Pitts, co-anchor of ABC Nightline had these words of praise for the book: “If you love a story about community and the can-do spirit of small-town America, then Pluck, Perseverance, and Paint is a must read. This wonderful book tells the story of a small southern town that shaped the lives and values of men and women who now live around the world. You will smile and laugh and often wonder about the small town in your own life. This is a triumphant American story.” The book is available at The Rusty Bucket in historic, downtown Apex and on-line at www.apexhistory.org.

Warren has been an invaluable resource for Finding Patience and for the history of Apex, Holly Springs, Holleman’s Crossroads and surrounding areas.