When Wes Abbott walks in a room, you immediately sense something that’s different about him. Nothing definable, but definitely different.

For one thing, he stands ramrod straight, but moves with a fluid grace. His twinkling blue eyes belie his years. At almost 82, he has the demeanor of a man many years his junior.

He attributes his agility to staying active and working with clay. Using his upper body strength to steady the clay on the wheel, and his leg muscles to push as he works, keeps him nimble. It also works the arthritis out of his hands and arms. His dexterity has paid off, he is agile and his mind is keen.

Born in Akron, Ohio, Abbott moved south with his family when the depression was at its worst. They settled in the Logan community, and young Wesley finished school at Cullman High.

He went to Florence Teachers College- now the University of North Alabama-where he attained his degree in both Education, and Art Education.

He was a member of the Armed Forces, both as a soldier in Occupied Japan, and in the Korean War. He was a member of the 45th Division, the acclaimed Thunderbirds, which was a famous Oklahoma Indian Unit.

“The Thunderbirds replaced the First Calvary Division in Korea. This was after the calvery had suffered many casualties, and loss of many lives. The First Calvary Division was withdrawn from Korea and then sent to Japan,” he explained.

In 1952, Abbott was rotated stateside. He was stationed in Camp Pendleton, Calif., and later in Fort Jackson, S.C., where he was separated honorably from the army to began his civilian life once again.

In 1953, he bought land near Crane Hill, and began teaching school in Cullman County. Then, in 1958 he moved to Florida to teach, and left the land to itself for a while.

Abbott’s interests are many, although painting and working with clay are his passion. He taught art for 34 years at the University of Florida. When he retired in 1990, the hills of Cullman County called him home. It was time to make a life for himself where he began.

“We used this land and house for vacations for a while, my children loved to come up and spend time here. They loved the rolling hills and since I had no real reason to stay in Gainesville, Florida, I decided to come back here when I retired,” he said.

Abbott settled into life in the country almost as if he’d never been away.

“I love this way of life. I garden, paint, and work with my pottery, and I travel when I want to,” he smiled. Abbott is notorious for leaving baskets of fresh fruits and vegetables at the fellowship hall of his church, and at the doorsteps of his friends and neighbors, as special gifts.

“This is a way I have of giving back to the people of my community,” he said.

“I love where I live - I could be happy anywhere. But, I believe happiness is a journey we take as we get to the places we wish to be. What happens to us in between is what makes the difference in our lives. 

“Along the way we help our neighbors, we make friends, and we lend a hand to the downtrodden, that is what makes a man grow as a person,” he added.

The journeys that got him where he is now have been many. Everywhere his travels took him, he absorbed as much knowledge as he could along the way.

“I’m still learning, always learning,” he said. “Finding different ways to do the same thing. I feel a spiritual connection to my work. Many people are hesitant about the arts. This is especially so when people are creating with clay.

 “In clay we find some of the oldest records of humankind,” said Abbott.

“Biblical writings teach there are spiritual learnings associated with clay. It is almost the only thing found in the earth that man couldn’t reproduce. It is a gift to us from the Creator.”

Abbott recalls scripture from the Bible that states,” God is the potter and mankind is the clay,”

“Clay almost has a mind of it’s own. You may have in mind what you want to do when you sit down to make something, but what you end up with may not be what you first intended,” he explained. “For beginners, the hardest part of creating with clay is centering it on the wheel.” 

Abbott spent a lot of time delving into the American Indian culture, not only their expertise with pottery, but their knowledge of natural things and their philosophy - their way of life.

His connection with the spiritual and his artist’s eye often merge, making his pottery and his paintings things of rare beauty. His flair for color is evident in his creations.

Several pieces of his pottery and some of his paintings are in private collections. His work is on display as part of the permanent collections in a number of educational institutions. Abbott does about six shows each year, mainly in North Alabama. The pottery mark on the bottom of his work says, “Hillhut Pottery.”

He does most of his work in his shop, surrounded by the gentle hills near Smith Lake.

Abbott nurtures everything that surrounds him, including the birds that frequent his 21 birding stations. “I usually buy about 50 pounds of bird seed per week,” he laughed.

His tender heart also extends to the lost and forgotten. “I rescue things that have been thrown away,” he smiled. “They are God’s creatures, too.”

That’s how he came to be the companion of two dogs, Maggie, a little foundling, and Bo, a blue healer that just showed up one day.

They keep him company when his six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren aren’t around.

Abbott’s daughter, Phyllis Archambeault lives with her husband, Joe, and their children Nathan, Ashley, and Kera, in Paris, Texas. They enjoy their grandson, Ethan. Phyllis, like her father, is a teacher.

Another daughter, Anita Campbell still lives in Gainesville. She and her husband, Donovan, grow roses and are members of the Rose Society.

Melissa Ward, Abbott’s youngest daughter, and her son Ryan live near her father. Melissa is a farmer.

Abbott works with several charities, among them Empty Bowls of Cullman, which supports the food bank.

He has a contagious enthusiasm for working with the arts, especially pottery. He encourages people to use their talents, whatever they may be, to create the things of beauty that bring happiness to themselves others.