Faces of LIFE – Dr. Mamie Ware “Women Journey Forward”

Professor of Basic Sciences

Dr. Mamie Elaine Brown Ware is a Professor in Basic Sciences at Life University (Life U). As a speaker at the “Journey of Women Luncheon” on March 2, 2022 held at Life U, she left her indelible mark on the audience. 

“Dr. Ware delivered a riveting presentation emblematic of her 30-plus years of dedication and commitment to the mission of Life University. Her presentation was chock full of lessons learned, which were funny, entertaining and, at times, riveting. At the end of her presentation, the audience gave her a standing ovation,” said Dr. Marla Thompson, attendee and Adjunct Faculty at Life U in the College of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies (CGUS).

Dr. Ware is from Jacksonville, Alabama. She has one sister and two brothers, Dr. John O. Brown and Ruth D. Jones. Her youngest brother that was lost to AIDS was Anthony Brown. He passed away when he was in college. Her school years began before desegregation, where she has first-hand knowledge and experience of what it was like to be a student in a segregated school system. Her father, Johnny Brown,  was the school principal of her segregated school, an all African American school that included elementary and high school in one building. Her mother, Ora Brown, was also a teacher at this school,  so there was not much getting away with anything. She had people close by making sure she was staying on a good path. In fact, her father drove Dr. Ware and her siblings to school each day.

Once desegregation occurred and the school closed, Dr. Ware attended a new high school. Her father became the school’s assistant principal, and her mother was a teacher there. Her parents were deeply rooted in the importance of education being the foundation toward a good life, and they instilled this in their children. For Dr. Ware, wanting a higher education was always an important personal goal. “I always knew that I wanted to get a P.h.D. or an M.D.,” said Dr. Ware.

After high school, she made a deal with her parents that if she attended a two-year junior college in state, she could then go to the college of her choice. She entered junior college with the hopes of studying biology but was told by the counselor that she was not ‘smart enough’ and would be enrolled in secretarial courses instead. Dr. Ware eventually found a way to create an impromptu meeting with the biology teacher, Dr. Bonner, who agreed to give her a chance to take the biology courses she wanted.

“Life doesn’t always gives you what you think you deserve, but if you stay focused on what you want out of life, you will achieve over time,” said Dr. Ware. Her meeting with Dr. Bonner was life-changing. “She gave me a chance, and I passed everything with flying colors,” said Dr. Ware. “This teacher continued to support me. Dr. Bonner was amazing.”

From there, Dr. Ware attended Clarke College in Atlanta, Georgia and received a Bachelor of Science in biology. After graduating from Clarke College, Dr. Ware then attended Atlanta University, where she received her Master’s in Biology with an emphasis in Physiology. This is where she was first introduced to Dr. Sid E. Williams. Dr. Williams and Dr. Gerald Clum both wanted to recruit African American professors to teach at Life U, and one of Dr. Ware’s professors, Dr. Joe Myers, was recruited to teach at Life U. He asked Dr. Ware to be a lab assistant at Life U and eventually allowed her to teach the labs as part of her training for her P.h.D.

“Over time, other teachers told Dr. Williams that I should also teach some of the lecture classes. One time a SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) accreditation team came on campus, and [they] came through the lab I was teaching and saw what we were doing. After, Dr. Williams said to me that SACS was very impressed with what I was teaching,” said Dr. Ware.

She had no idea who the people were who had joined her lab class or that SACS was the accreditation body over institutions of higher education. This experience led Dr. Williams to hire Dr. Ware as an adjunct faculty member. Dr. Williams then asked her to create accelerated courses in the science program. She worked as an adjunct faculty member and helped create accelerated courses while continuing to complete her P.h.D. Dr. Ware eventually helped create the College of Undergraduate Studies (CUS) and became a full-time instructor at Life U. CUS today is known as the College of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies (CGUS), offering four divisions and 14 degrees, including online options. Visit the CGUS page for more information regarding everything that CGUS at Life U has to offer.

Dr. Ware also received a grant that lasted for at least four years to bring in more African American students to the Doctor of Chiropractic program at Life U. This program brought sophomore and junior high school students to campus and was offered in between the spring and summer quarters. These  students were given the opportunity to learn about the chiropractic profession.

According to Dr. Ware, many of these students were already living a holistic lifestyle by virtue of being raised on farms. “[Chiropractic] was in line with African Americans because a lot [of their lifestyle] was holistic with homegrown food, cows and chickens, etc.,” said Dr. Ware. “Chiropractors would also let them come to their offices to learn what Chiropractic was all about. It was a whole new area of health care for these students.”

Dr. Ware is married to Professor Ronald (Greg) Ware, who teaches several courses at Life U in CGUS for the Business and Sport Health Science (SHS) programs. On April 5, 2022, they will celebrate their 25th Wedding Anniversary. They have one daughter, Ronee’ Elaine Ware, and she is 22 and attending the University of Alabama. Dr. Ware has been influenced by many strong and positive women in her life, most importantly her mother, and she wants to be an excellent mentor not only to the young women in her family, but to others as well. She advises these formidable women to “stay focused and let the person you want to be and you need to be [thrive], and don’t lose sight of the light. The road may not be the easiest road, but you will get there. I believe in all the young ladies out there. I was inspired by my mom and teachers who instilled in me to never give up and stay focused. We have to have a backup group.”

 

 

Faces of LIFE is a story campaign that showcases members of the dynamic Life U community, including faculty/staff, students, alumni and health science professionals. Interested in being featured or nominating a candidate? We want to hear from you! Email Marketing@LIFE.edu. Read more Faces of LIFE stories.