I was born in Petersburg, VA while my father served in the US Air Force, stationed at Ft Lee, VA. After we left there, we returned to our native SC and settled in Mt Pleasant, SC where I attended Wando High School, lettered in three sports, was President of the Science Club, and attended many of the programs my students do now: Boy's State, Governor's School, Mock UN and others. I was fortunate to earn a place at the US Military Academy and graduated from there with the Class Of 1981 and a Bachelors in Science and a minor in Middle East studies.
I was an Armor Officer (tanker) by trade in the Army and as a result was able to do many remarkable things. I attended many schools (Armor Officer Basic, Airborne, Air Assault, Counter Terrorism, and NBC school) and even managed to get an MBA from Boston University in 1985. I left the Army to go to Law school, but the program funding was canceled, and I ended up going to work as an Operations Manager for United Airlines. From there I worked as a management consultant in the technology field, which included a stint as one of the Y2K managers for Dunn & Bradstreet in NJ. In 2003, I applied at Westwood HS for a teaching position in Math, but ended up in the Social Studies Department teaching US History and Economics. I even taught the AP World History Course for one year. Along the way, I earned an MA in Educational Administration from Scranton University in 2008, and a Doctorate in Educational Technology from the University of South Carolina in 2021. (Go Gamecocks!)
Fittingly I ended my formal education in the same state that I started it in back in the 1960s. I consider myself a life-long learner, and love to tell stories, so it's a good match. Like Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] " I [also] have never let my schooling interfere with my education".
On a final note, I am a fifth generation soldier - my son, LTC J. Thames, is a sixth. My dad was an Airman in the 1950s, his dad fought as a doughboy in WWI, and our forebears fought and died in the Civil War. My father in law was a decorated WWII vet. It has been an important part of my life - I still wear a watch that displays military time, and my background has flavored much of what I do.