Bill Dean Ham

Bill Dean Ham, 85 passed away on November 23, 2021. A well known and highly respected Geophysicist, loving husband, father and grandfather.

Bill was born in Bucklin, Kan., to Lowell and Ellen Ham on Dec. 13, 1935. The over achiever that he was, he played basketball and baseball, playing on as many as two baseball teams and one softball team at the same time. He played pitcher and first baseman with his right pitching arm so sore he went around with a constant odor of liniment! He graduated at 16 years old from Wichita High School East. Bill headed straight toward college after graduation. While attending Wichita State University he also picked up many hours of upper level Geology classes from Kansas State University during the summers. He graduated with 36 hours of Geology from Wichita State University in 1956 with a B.A. degree, Cum Laude, and with honors in Geology.

He received his first break quickly after graduation from oilman, Mr. Lee Brooks who offered him an interview with his company, Seis Tech Exploration Inc. They hired him the same afternoon as the interview as a "Seismic Computer" in June 1956. He always remained truly grateful to these gentlemen for giving him the chance to prove himself. He made Party Chief Geophysicist within the first year at the young age of 20. During 1960 Bill was fortunate to have been instrumental in the discovery of Sleepy Hollow Field in Red Willow County, Nebraska for Pubco Petroleum Corp. This was a major discovery based on a subsurface idea of Mr. Gary Sandlin. It is in secondary recovery and has produced about 40 million barrels of oil from the Reagan Sand and 5 million barrels from the Lansing / Kansas City. In 1961 he left Seis Tech to become a partner of Kansas Seismic Exchange, Inc. Later, in 1968 he was President of his own company, Exploration Inc.

Still a sports enthusiast, he began karate lessons at forty becoming a second degree black belt. He was truly grateful for all the wonderful men he worked with and loyal lifelong friends he had since high school and college.

Bill married his high school and college sweetheart, Beverly J. Ham, the love of his life, in 1956 and they were blessed with two daughters.

He is survived by his daughters; Monique Renee Schoonover of Wichita and Dawnette Jenelle Ham of Colorado, and his much loved sister found later in life, Patricia Ham Storms from California, and his granddaughters Jenna Chapman of Colorado and Jill Beam of China and three great-grandchildren.

A wonderful accounting of his life and career is posted in the Kansas Geological Society Bulletin Member Profile from March-April 2007.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: Lifeline Animal Placement and Protection, 310 W. 45th St., North Wichita, KS, 67204.