WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, DFCEMR 14, 1988, PAGE 19 THERESA MCGEE was recently awarded her all- round cord. Theresa is a member of the 3rd Whitby girl guides. , Free Press photo Stop-smoking course begins in January Christmas and New Year celebrations are on everyone's mind, and soon those New Years' resolutions will be made. For many people, January 1989 will be the month to to smoking. With this in mind, the Durham Region Lung Association has scheduled its popular and successful stop-smoking courseê, "Countdown," in several locations across the region. The five-week program will be available January through April in Oshawa, Ajax, Whitby and Port Perry. Based on behavior modification techniques, Countdown currently has an 81 per cent success rate. Classes are small, and all sessions are held in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere, under the direction of a trained Lund Association course leader. Unlike many commercial stop smoking programs (that can cost between $200 and $700), the Lung Association offers Countdown for a very moderate fee. Cred card registrations can be accepted. For more detailed information on local courses, call the Durham Region Lung Association at 436-1046. Vandal Ham FROM PAGE 13 a family friend, John Vandal Ham of Kingston, Ont. He was born on Nov. 1, 1814. His father Henry Ham, was a brother-in-law to Peter PerrY. Ham studied law at the King ston office of John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister. Upon his arrival in Whitby, Ham was appointed clerk of the county court and registrar of the surrogate court for the new County of Ontario. With his position in Whitby secure, Ham decided to purchase a home and bought the land at 101 Mary St. W. from the Perry family on Jan. 2, 1854. He built- his home on the property. One of Ham's children, George Henry Ham, worked as a repor- ter for the Whitby Chronicle and was editor of the Whitby Gazette in 1870. In 1890, he became the public relations director for Canadian Pacific Railway. Little's wife, Carol, bought the home iri 1983. O)PE su M