In the sometimes egocentric world of live theater, Greg Abbott made sure his was the most unassuming presence on stage.
The artistic director of DramaTech Theater steered the student-run Georgia Tech troupe with a gentle nudge from the wings, standing in the shadows while others enjoyed their moment in the sun.
"It was important to Greg to protect the environment to make sure the students could run everything they could," said its technical director, Brad Wells of Marietta. "He was very much a guide rather than a teacher.
"If someone had an idea that wasn't likely to burn the theater down, the odds were pretty good that he would let you try it."
Gregory B. Abbott, 54, died of a heart attack Friday while driving near his Atlanta residence. The funeral Mass is 10 a.m. today at Cathedral of Christ the King. H.M. Patterson & Son, Oglethorpe Hill, is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Phillipsburg, Kan., Mr. Abbott grew up on his family's farm and earned a master of fine arts degree from the University of Georgia in 1976. He directed the Springer Theatre in Columbus and served as Onstage Atlanta's artistic director before taking the Georgia Tech post in 1984.
He vowed early to break the theater's dependency on outsiders and use Georgia Tech talent as much as possible, nurturing students in the acting classes he taught.
He lightened the sometimes pressure-cooker academic environment with goofy, limerick-filled e-mails and milked a running gag in his shows, where a ubiquitous toaster turned up as everything from a piece of Roman artwork in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" to a nonsensical prop hanging from the ceiling.
"He was just a happy person who didn't bring any baggage to the theater --- in fact, I don't even know if he had any baggage," said Peg Shelton of Atlanta, who assisted him with productions.
"Greg was all about just being who he was and letting the kids grow as best as he could help them. But he didn't come with any agenda other than always asking them to do their best."
"It's a fairly unique environment because you have a lot of engineers or people who spend all day in front of a computer who finally got a chance to work with their hands or express their creative side," Mr. Wells said, "and Greg felt really good about fostering that."
A basketball, football and baseball star in high school, Mr. Abbott coached his children's basketball teams and watched ESPN obsessively.
"He was a very interesting person because he seemed to have these two very black-and-white sides that meshed very well," said his daughter, Lauren Abbott of Athens. "He loved theater and English and poetry and teaching and all of those things, but he was a huge sports fan.
"If you met him at one of our games you'd never know that other side of his personality coexisted."
At the close of every school year, Mr. Abbott went back to his family's farm where he'd get up at 5 a.m. to harvest the wheat crop and help with chores.
When he came back in the fall, Ms. Shelton said, "the bed of his pickup truck looked like a Chia Pet, with all this seed sprouting in the corners."
"He was uncomplicated in the way he approached things," she said. "The way he looked at it was, 'Keep it simple, keep it smart, don't clutter things up,' and I think that's one of the reasons he could keep things simple --- because he was an extraordinary, ordinary guy."
Other survivors include his wife, June Abbott of Atlanta; a son, Michael Abbott of Atlanta; and a brother, Kevin Abbott of Hutchinson, Kan.
© 2006 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Dec. 5, 2006
Contributor: Beverly Dunn (46946819) •
The artistic director of DramaTech Theater steered the student-run Georgia Tech troupe with a gentle nudge from the wings, standing in the shadows while others enjoyed their moment in the sun.
"It was important to Greg to protect the environment to make sure the students could run everything they could," said its technical director, Brad Wells of Marietta. "He was very much a guide rather than a teacher.
"If someone had an idea that wasn't likely to burn the theater down, the odds were pretty good that he would let you try it."
Gregory B. Abbott, 54, died of a heart attack Friday while driving near his Atlanta residence. The funeral Mass is 10 a.m. today at Cathedral of Christ the King. H.M. Patterson & Son, Oglethorpe Hill, is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Phillipsburg, Kan., Mr. Abbott grew up on his family's farm and earned a master of fine arts degree from the University of Georgia in 1976. He directed the Springer Theatre in Columbus and served as Onstage Atlanta's artistic director before taking the Georgia Tech post in 1984.
He vowed early to break the theater's dependency on outsiders and use Georgia Tech talent as much as possible, nurturing students in the acting classes he taught.
He lightened the sometimes pressure-cooker academic environment with goofy, limerick-filled e-mails and milked a running gag in his shows, where a ubiquitous toaster turned up as everything from a piece of Roman artwork in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" to a nonsensical prop hanging from the ceiling.
"He was just a happy person who didn't bring any baggage to the theater --- in fact, I don't even know if he had any baggage," said Peg Shelton of Atlanta, who assisted him with productions.
"Greg was all about just being who he was and letting the kids grow as best as he could help them. But he didn't come with any agenda other than always asking them to do their best."
"It's a fairly unique environment because you have a lot of engineers or people who spend all day in front of a computer who finally got a chance to work with their hands or express their creative side," Mr. Wells said, "and Greg felt really good about fostering that."
A basketball, football and baseball star in high school, Mr. Abbott coached his children's basketball teams and watched ESPN obsessively.
"He was a very interesting person because he seemed to have these two very black-and-white sides that meshed very well," said his daughter, Lauren Abbott of Athens. "He loved theater and English and poetry and teaching and all of those things, but he was a huge sports fan.
"If you met him at one of our games you'd never know that other side of his personality coexisted."
At the close of every school year, Mr. Abbott went back to his family's farm where he'd get up at 5 a.m. to harvest the wheat crop and help with chores.
When he came back in the fall, Ms. Shelton said, "the bed of his pickup truck looked like a Chia Pet, with all this seed sprouting in the corners."
"He was uncomplicated in the way he approached things," she said. "The way he looked at it was, 'Keep it simple, keep it smart, don't clutter things up,' and I think that's one of the reasons he could keep things simple --- because he was an extraordinary, ordinary guy."
Other survivors include his wife, June Abbott of Atlanta; a son, Michael Abbott of Atlanta; and a brother, Kevin Abbott of Hutchinson, Kan.
© 2006 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Dec. 5, 2006
Contributor: Beverly Dunn (46946819) •
In the sometimes egocentric world of live theater, Greg Abbott made sure his was the most unassuming presence on stage.
The artistic director of DramaTech Theater steered the student-run Georgia Tech troupe with a gentle nudge from the wings, standing in the shadows while others enjoyed their moment in the sun.
"It was important to Greg to protect the environment to make sure the students could run everything they could," said its technical director, Brad Wells of Marietta. "He was very much a guide rather than a teacher.
"If someone had an idea that wasn't likely to burn the theater down, the odds were pretty good that he would let you try it."
Gregory B. Abbott, 54, died of a heart attack Friday while driving near his Atlanta residence. The funeral Mass is 10 a.m. today at Cathedral of Christ the King. H.M. Patterson & Son, Oglethorpe Hill, is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Phillipsburg, Kan., Mr. Abbott grew up on his family's farm and earned a master of fine arts degree from the University of Georgia in 1976. He directed the Springer Theatre in Columbus and served as Onstage Atlanta's artistic director before taking the Georgia Tech post in 1984.
He vowed early to break the theater's dependency on outsiders and use Georgia Tech talent as much as possible, nurturing students in the acting classes he taught.
He lightened the sometimes pressure-cooker academic environment with goofy, limerick-filled e-mails and milked a running gag in his shows, where a ubiquitous toaster turned up as everything from a piece of Roman artwork in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" to a nonsensical prop hanging from the ceiling.
"He was just a happy person who didn't bring any baggage to the theater --- in fact, I don't even know if he had any baggage," said Peg Shelton of Atlanta, who assisted him with productions.
"Greg was all about just being who he was and letting the kids grow as best as he could help them. But he didn't come with any agenda other than always asking them to do their best."
"It's a fairly unique environment because you have a lot of engineers or people who spend all day in front of a computer who finally got a chance to work with their hands or express their creative side," Mr. Wells said, "and Greg felt really good about fostering that."
A basketball, football and baseball star in high school, Mr. Abbott coached his children's basketball teams and watched ESPN obsessively.
"He was a very interesting person because he seemed to have these two very black-and-white sides that meshed very well," said his daughter, Lauren Abbott of Athens. "He loved theater and English and poetry and teaching and all of those things, but he was a huge sports fan.
"If you met him at one of our games you'd never know that other side of his personality coexisted."
At the close of every school year, Mr. Abbott went back to his family's farm where he'd get up at 5 a.m. to harvest the wheat crop and help with chores.
When he came back in the fall, Ms. Shelton said, "the bed of his pickup truck looked like a Chia Pet, with all this seed sprouting in the corners."
"He was uncomplicated in the way he approached things," she said. "The way he looked at it was, 'Keep it simple, keep it smart, don't clutter things up,' and I think that's one of the reasons he could keep things simple --- because he was an extraordinary, ordinary guy."
Other survivors include his wife, June Abbott of Atlanta; a son, Michael Abbott of Atlanta; and a brother, Kevin Abbott of Hutchinson, Kan.
© 2006 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Dec. 5, 2006
Contributor: Beverly Dunn (46946819) •
The artistic director of DramaTech Theater steered the student-run Georgia Tech troupe with a gentle nudge from the wings, standing in the shadows while others enjoyed their moment in the sun.
"It was important to Greg to protect the environment to make sure the students could run everything they could," said its technical director, Brad Wells of Marietta. "He was very much a guide rather than a teacher.
"If someone had an idea that wasn't likely to burn the theater down, the odds were pretty good that he would let you try it."
Gregory B. Abbott, 54, died of a heart attack Friday while driving near his Atlanta residence. The funeral Mass is 10 a.m. today at Cathedral of Christ the King. H.M. Patterson & Son, Oglethorpe Hill, is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Phillipsburg, Kan., Mr. Abbott grew up on his family's farm and earned a master of fine arts degree from the University of Georgia in 1976. He directed the Springer Theatre in Columbus and served as Onstage Atlanta's artistic director before taking the Georgia Tech post in 1984.
He vowed early to break the theater's dependency on outsiders and use Georgia Tech talent as much as possible, nurturing students in the acting classes he taught.
He lightened the sometimes pressure-cooker academic environment with goofy, limerick-filled e-mails and milked a running gag in his shows, where a ubiquitous toaster turned up as everything from a piece of Roman artwork in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" to a nonsensical prop hanging from the ceiling.
"He was just a happy person who didn't bring any baggage to the theater --- in fact, I don't even know if he had any baggage," said Peg Shelton of Atlanta, who assisted him with productions.
"Greg was all about just being who he was and letting the kids grow as best as he could help them. But he didn't come with any agenda other than always asking them to do their best."
"It's a fairly unique environment because you have a lot of engineers or people who spend all day in front of a computer who finally got a chance to work with their hands or express their creative side," Mr. Wells said, "and Greg felt really good about fostering that."
A basketball, football and baseball star in high school, Mr. Abbott coached his children's basketball teams and watched ESPN obsessively.
"He was a very interesting person because he seemed to have these two very black-and-white sides that meshed very well," said his daughter, Lauren Abbott of Athens. "He loved theater and English and poetry and teaching and all of those things, but he was a huge sports fan.
"If you met him at one of our games you'd never know that other side of his personality coexisted."
At the close of every school year, Mr. Abbott went back to his family's farm where he'd get up at 5 a.m. to harvest the wheat crop and help with chores.
When he came back in the fall, Ms. Shelton said, "the bed of his pickup truck looked like a Chia Pet, with all this seed sprouting in the corners."
"He was uncomplicated in the way he approached things," she said. "The way he looked at it was, 'Keep it simple, keep it smart, don't clutter things up,' and I think that's one of the reasons he could keep things simple --- because he was an extraordinary, ordinary guy."
Other survivors include his wife, June Abbott of Atlanta; a son, Michael Abbott of Atlanta; and a brother, Kevin Abbott of Hutchinson, Kan.
© 2006 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Dec. 5, 2006
Contributor: Beverly Dunn (46946819) •
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
