Kenneth Dale Ware was born on August 30, 1935 in Webster Springs, West Virginia. He received his B.S. (1956) in Forestry from West Virginia University, M.S. (1957) in Forestry from Yale University, and Ph. D. (1960) from Yale University. His professional experience included the following positions: Junior Engineer (1955-1956) with U.S. Steel Corporation, Research Assistant (1956-1957) with Yale University, Laboratory and Teaching Assistant (1957-1958) with Yale University, and Research Forester (1958-1961) with the United States Forest Service. While at Iowa State University, Ware was an Assistant Professor (1961-1964) of Forestry, Associate Professor (1964-1968), and Professor (1968-1970).

Ware was a member of Alpha Zeta, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Statistical Association, the Biometric Society, the Iowa Academy of Science, Phi Epsilon Phi, Sigma Xi, the Society of American Foresters, Xi Sigma Pi, Gamma Sigma Delta, and Phi Kappa Phi.