About the Author Robert B. Ham is a retired vocational education teacher, and the 2002 recipient of The Virginia Association of Trade and Industrial Education's Outstanding Teacher of the Year. Most recently a safety manager and director of masonry apprenticeship training for an established Virginia commercial masonry contractor, he is an experienced journeyman mason and masonry contractor. In addition to this text, Mr. Ham is the author of MASONRY: BRICK AND BLOCK CONSTRUCTION by Delmar, Cengage Learning. He is a 1974 graduate of Virginia Tech.