Dale Ham, one of a group of original division directors who helped guide NHRA in its formative years, died Dec. 23. He was 81.
Born Jess Dale Ham, the outgoing and personable man known to his loyal racers as “the Hammer,” had a long and glorious career with the NHRA. Like so many, he began his love affair with the sport of drag racing as a competitor – he won the C Street Roadster class at the inaugural NHRA Nationals in Great Bend, Kan., in 1955 — and was named a regional advisor in the South Central region in 1954 and then Division 4 Director by NHRA founder Wally Parks in 1961.
With wife Glynanna perpetually by his side, he oversaw a vast region of the country that included Texas and Oklahoma, and was a hot bed of racing at the time. When Ham retired at the end of 1986, he became the first fulltime NHRA employee to retire.
The Hams were married for more than 60 years. Glynanna passed away April 5, 2011. They are survived by their children Armanda (“Mandy”), Brad’ and Sid. (NHRA)
