Antonio Johnston Waring, Jr., was born in Savannah, Georgia, on August 17, 1915. He was a practicing pediatrician and amateur archaeologist. Waring is best known for his work with Preston Holder on the chronologically late Southeastern Ceremonial complex.

Waring attended Yale University, graduating in 1938. He earned an M.D. in 1942 interning at John Hopkins University where he studied pediatrics. He practiced pediatrics in Savannah until retiring at the age of forty-seven in order to focus on his archaeological interests.

Waring's interest in archaeology flourished during the early part of his life. At the age of thirteen he was conducting amateur studies of sites in the Savannah area. His archaeological pursuits developed professionally in 1939 while working with Preston Holder excavating and performing stratigraphic tests of important southeastern sites in Chatham County. The results of these tests provided a firm sequence of the early use of pottery by indigenous populations on the Georgia Coast.

Waring joined the United States Army Medical Corps, serving from 1945 to 1946 and achieving the rank of Captain. Upon his discharge, he returned home to Savannah to practice pediatrics.

Waring's work as an amateur archaeologist continued and he was made an associate in the field at the University of Georgia and a collaborator with the Smithsonian Institute in 1948. In 1962, Waring retired from his medical practice in order to dedicate the remaining years of his life to the study of indigenous populations.

Waring died on March 21, 1964, after a battle with cancer. Because of his lifelong dedication to the field of archaeology, the University of West Georgia renamed its archaeological lab for him in 1992.

The Waring Laboratory serves as a repository for the University’s research collections, for those from state and federal agencies with responsibilities for archaeological resources management, and for collections resulting from the compliance research projects undertaken by private archaeological firms. It is one of the few facilities of its type in Georgia specifically designed to meet both academic needs and federal standards for the curation of archaeological collections. The two-level structure is climate controlled with both temperature and humidity maintained at appropriate levels within its curation range. The largest part of the Waring Laboratory is dedicated to the curation of archaeological collections.