Donor Spotlight: Dancie Ware

One of our first Delegado Advocate Board and Old 300 lifetime members is Dancie Ware. She has been enchanted with J.P. Bryan’s collection of art and artifacts from Texas and the American West since she discovered it displayed in his Torch Energy offices years ago, so it isn’t surprising that when J.P. chose to house his collection in “the old orphanage” in her beloved Galveston, Dancie was one of the first and biggest fans of The Bryan Museum. She and her husband Jim immediately became lifetime members and have helped promote and support the Bryan since its inception. In fact, our successful Tejas Libre Social and Texas Auction event stemmed from Dancie’s original idea!

Nationally regarded as a leader in the field of communications, Dancie heads one of the most respected public relations firms in the Southwest whose clients include Fortune 500 companies from across the country. As a dedicated fifth-generation Texan, Dancie has been an instrumental force in the renaissance of her native city of Galveston, leading the revival of Mardi Gras Galveston and creating the acclaimed Galveston Arches installation in collaboration with legendary architects Aldo Rossi, Helmut Jahn, and many others. Dancie also conceived and produced the book Historic Galveston and played a vital role in the reprinting of The Galveston That Was, two literary tributes to our city’s preservation movement.

Dancie either currently serves or has recently served on the UTMB Development Board Executive Committee, the Rosenberg Library Board of Trustees, and the City of Galveston Arts and Historic Preservation Advisory Board. She has held advisory and board positions for the Grand 1894 Opera House, the Galveston Historical Foundation, the Galveston Educational Foundation, the University of Houston School of Architecture, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston/Bayou Bend.

Her list of recognitions seems endless: Woman on the Move by Texas Executive Women and the Houston Chronicle, Best in the Business by the Houston Press, March of Dimes Volunteer of Distinction, United Cerebral Palsy Woman of the Year, Best Dressed Hall of Fame by the Houston Chronicle, and Texas Children’s Cancer Center Community Champion. On April 6, 2017 she was honored at the Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 10th Annual Conference for Women.

Dancie graduated with honors from The University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. and is a lifetime member of Texas Exes. She is married to trial attorney James L. Ware, B.S. and J.D. from The University of Texas, and is the proud mother of twin sons, Carter and Lane Ware. Her life can be summed up by her involvements and her natural inclination to give back and help others.

The Bryan Museum celebrates Dancie Ware as a pillar of our successes to date. We thank and pay tribute to an amazing woman and treasured member of our Museum family!