The Airline Motor Coaches Company (AMC) of Nacogdoches arose in 1924 through the vision and leadership of former school teacher C.D. Thomas. He created a bus company that was, by the mid-1930s, an established and respected facilitator of travel throughout East Texas. Beginning with just a Model “T” running between Corrigan and Lufkin, Thomas steadily expanded the company through a series of mergers and acquisitions with other local operators. During World War II, the AMC reached its height. One of the selling points for bus companies from the very beginning was that they offered service to places not covered by the passenger rail network. During the war, this fact, combined with the rationing of raw materials like oil and rubber, made busses the only viable means of public transportation for much of the region. In 1945, the AMC employed over 150 people and operated busses from Houston to Shreveport.