Anne Bradford Warner, Ph.D.

Spelman College extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends, colleagues, and former students of Anne Bradford Warner, Ph.D., a beloved educator, scholar, and mentor whose life was devoted to learning and the transformative power of language.

Dr. Warner served Spelman College for 33 years as associate professor of English, department chair, and director of the Comprehensive Writing Program, teaching in the English Department from 1982 until her retirement in 2015.

She was recognized with the Spelman Presidential Award for Distinguished Service in 2006, and published several peer-reviewed articles focusing largely on Harriet Jacobs. She always spoke highly of the friendships she made at work, her students, and her colleagues’ dedication to the future success of Spelman students.

Dr. Warner, 80, passed away on Dec. 10, 2025, with her two daughters by her side after a battle with cancer. She was born on June 12, 1945, to Margaret Bowles Bradford and Frances Keith Bradford in Oakland. She grew up in Houston, where she earned the nickname “Anne B,” and spent days hand-in-hand, singing with her two sisters and enjoying the beach in Galveston.

Dr. Warner attended Hollins College in Virginia, where she formed close friendships and honed her love of English, a keen interest in grammar, and a passion for writing and poetry. She was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society and spent many of her 30 years as a college English professor inducting promising young students into the society. After her marriage to Arthur H. Warner, they moved to Alexandria, VA and later Atlanta. In Atlanta, Anne earned her Ph.D. in English Literature from Emory University, thus beginning a lifelong love of education, learning, and research.

Dr. Warner was a devoted mother to Dru and Cat. She always made them her first priority, and they are forever grateful for her unconditional love and support. She spent many hours in the car with them on the way to and from riding lessons, soccer games, and various activities. She always had a quick joke or pun, a snack to offer, and was the fastest helper for vocabulary homework any girl could want. As time went on, she was never more than a phone call away, a shoulder to lean on and a reassuring confidante. Her grandchildren also thrived with her love; she was always ready to make a favorite family dinner, help with homework, read bedtime stories, play Monopoly or Castle Panic, and attend countless youth baseball games.

Dr. Warner is survived and dearly missed by her daughters, Dru Gearhart (Jake) and Cat Warner-Griffin (Sean) and her six grandchildren: Warner, Jack, JP, Annie, Ford, and Eddie; her sisters Amy Ufer (Dieter) and Meg Caldwell (Bunky); her sister- and brothers-in-law Lina and Don Wessels and Dan Warner, and 10 nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by two dearly loved nephews.

Spelman College remembers Dr. Warner with gratitude and affection, honoring a life marked by intellectual rigor, generosity of spirit, and an unwavering devotion to students and scholarship.