John
Rufus Meaders
was born in 1916, the first child of Cheever
and Arie
Meaders. Like his siblings, John learned to make pottery
early in life from his father and uncles at the Meaders family
shop. The boys built a miniature kiln to fire the small pieces
they made to sell or trade at school. As he grew older, John
assumed the responsibilities of hauling and cutting wood for
the kiln; digging, hauling and grinding clay.
During
WWII, John was drafted into the Army Air Force and served
three years. Upon returning home from service, he took jobs
in the poultry and lumber business. John also farmed the land
he and his wife,
Mildred Collins Meaders, owned. She and John had
three daughters, Annette,
Mary and Joyce. They raised the children in the same house
where John was raised, the old Meaders Homeplace.
John made
small pieces in the 1970's, but didn't turn pottery full-time
until he retired, in 1980. He and Mildred built a wood-fired
kiln and burned their first load in 1984. In 1995,
John was awarded the North Georgia Folk Festival Legend Award.
This award was given in recognition of a lifetime dedication
to the Georgia Folk Arts. John and Mildred made pottery together
until shortly before his death in 1999. His dedication was
so great that in the last months of his life, John ran an
extension cord from his oxygen machine in the house to his
shop. He wanted to create a few final pieces of his beloved
pottery.
With his
passing, the pottery world lost a great talent that is missed
to this day.
