Ham, William T. (William Taylor), 1908-1998

Dr. William Taylor Ham, Jr. (1908-1998) was born in Norfolk, Virginia, to William and Lucy Ham. He attended Episcopal High School and then the University of Virginia where he received a B.S. in Engineering and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Physics in 1931, 1933, and 1935 respectively. After completing his degrees at Virginia, Ham taught physics at Columbia University from 1936 to 1937. Upon the death of his father in 1937, he worked briefly in the family flour business, W.T. Ham & Company, Inc. In 1938, he returned to the University of Virginia to assist Dr. Jesse Beams and Dr. Leland B. Snoddy who were developing ultracentrifugation to separate uranium isotopes as part of the Manhattan Project.

During World War II Ham served in the Pacific with the United States Marine Corp. He was assigned as a radar officer for the 5th AA Battalion on Okinawa at the conclusion of the war. Ham left the Marine Corps in 1946, having attained the rank of Major. He returned to Charlottesville to head the Division of Physics and Electronics at the Institute of Textile Technology.

In 1948, Ham joined the faculty of the Department of Surgery at the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) as an associate professor. He worked with Dr. Everett I. Evans and his team to study the biological effects of thermal and ionizing radiation in nuclear warfare. He also participated Operation Ranger, a series of nuclear tests that provided important data on the time duration of thermal flash from a nuclear fireball, conducted in Nevada in 1951. This data aided studies on thermal flash burns and provided the U.S. military with crucial information for planning strategies. Ham went with a five-man team to Japan in 1956, at the behest of the National Research Council and the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission. The team investigated the feasibility of gathering accurate data on the exact level of radiation exposure for each survivor of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Their findings were the foundation for Project Ichiban, a program to document the location of survivors at the instant the bombs detonated. Since many survivors were indoors at the time of detonation, the project recreated traditional wood-frame Japanese houses on a test site in Nevada. These structures were subjected to a simulated nuclear blast to study their shielding properties.

When MCV created the Department of Biophysics in 1953, Ham became the first chair and was promoted to the rank of full professor. He taught courses on biophysics and radiobiology. In addition he continued his research on retinal burns in rabbits, collaborated with colleagues, and served as a consultant for groups such as the Atomic Energy Commission, Corning Glass Works, Eastman Kodak Co., Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Polaroid Corporation, and Xerox, among others. As laser technology developed in the 1960s, Ham began to study the ocular effects of laser radiation and other light sources such as the sun. Ham and his colleagues conducted research that demonstrated the damaging effects of extended exposure to blue light and its role in age-related macular degeneration. He retired as chair of Biophysics in 1976, and was named professor emeritus. Ham continued as an active researcher until 1989.

Over his career Ham authored 40 published papers, and received numerous recognitions including the Life Achievement Award in Science presented by the Science Museum of Virginia in 1990 and the George M. Wilkening Award in Laser Safety in 1997. Ham has been described as a pioneer and leader in the biomedical application of lasers and as an expert on the effects of radiant energy on the retina.

Ham married Jean Stratton Anderson (b. 1913) of Aberdeen, Scotland in 1940. They had two children, Christina Duncan Anderson Ham and Elspeth Read Ham.