OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Whether he’s sharing a compelling story at a community event or rolling up his sleeves for a local cause, Col. Craig Ham has a way of connecting with people.
Though Ham once planned to teach junior high school, a different path unfolded, sparked by the inspiration of an uncle, which led to a 26-year military career.
While growing up, Ham was a Boy Scout who earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He joined the ROTC program at Western Michigan University, where he rose to deputy brigade commander.
The future U.S. Army Colonel married after his sophomore year in college, had a child, worked nights at the post office, and managed his studies and ROTC duties during the day.
Commissioned as a distinguished military graduate, his first assignment was in Germany. After two and a half years, he returned to the United States for language school at Fort Bliss, where he studied Vietnamese. In 1972, Ham was deployed to Vietnam, providing security for Bob Hope’s final Christmas show there and for Vice President Spiro Agnew.
In 1974, West Point invited Ham to join its faculty. He earned a Master’s degree from the University of Michigan and, a decade later, a Ph.D. in forensic geography from the University of Kentucky. As a military police officer, he incorporated police work into his doctoral studies.
In 1976, he remarried and spent three years at West Point as an assistant professor and assistant to the dean. From there, he served in South Korea as a battalion executive officer and deputy provost marshal, then returned to the U.S. to Fort Leavenworth, where he worked under then-Brigadier General Colin Powell in the Combined Arms Combat Development Agency (CACDA), the Army’s inter-branch think tank.
“I got a job working for Colin Powell in CACDA, Combined Arms Combat Development Agency,” he recalls.
Returning to West Point, he became head of the geography department, retiring as deputy head of geography and environmental engineering in 1994. A month later, he was teaching physics at Forest High School.
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“Leadership is the key,” says Ham. “Your people have to have technical knowledge. My dad said, ‘You surround yourself with good people, and then you let them do their job.’ He liked to practice what he called MBWA – Management by Walking Around.”
Ham went on to serve as president of the teacher’s union, executive director for a Florida Education Association service unit, and was elected to two terms on the National Education Association board of directors in Washington, D.C.
After leaving the FEA, retirement seemed to be on the horizon for Ham, but he returned to service as a deputy superintendent under Marion County’s Heidi Maier, overseeing transportation, logistics, maintenance, budget, and personnel.
Now, Ham is focused on the nonprofit Stuff the Bus, which recently gained 501(c)(3) status. The program ensures students have the resources they need to succeed.
“For me, it’s a challenge to make Stuff the Bus something special,” Ham said.