Mrs. Diane M. Garner, known to her students as "Mama Duck",  was born and raised in Camden, Arkansas.  She was a 1971 graduate of Fairview High School, and went on to Southern State College (now Southern Arkansas University) in Magnolia, Arkansas, to complete her Associate of Science in Nursing. She was licensed in both Arkansas and Alabama as a Registered Nurse in 1973 and added licensure in Georgia in 1974.  After moving to Auburn, Alabama, in 1973, she worked in a variety of nursing settings before returning to college at Auburn to complete her B.S.Ed. in Health Occupations Education in 1978. She taught Health Occupations Education at Beauregard High School in Lee County, Alabama, from 1978 until 1980.

In 1980, Mrs. Garner and her family moved to Rome, Georgia, where she served as the Director of Nursing Services for Creswell Convalescent Center (now Beverly Healthcare).  In 1982, she accepted a teaching position with Rome City Schools and taught Career Education / Social Studies at West Rome High School.  While employed at WRHS, she added on certification in Social Studies and obtained her M.Ed. from West Georgia. When East and West Rome High Schools merged and the new Rome High School was opened in 1992, Mrs. Garner established the Health Occupations (now Healthcare Science Technology Education) program there.  Within two years, Rome High School was the first high school in the area to have a Certified Nursing Assistant program approved by the state, and graduated its first CNA class in 1995.  Mrs. Garner was selected by her peers as Rome High School's Teacher of the Year for 1996-97.  In 1999, her Health Occupations program was the first in the nation to be Industry Certified.

Mrs. Garner is married to Dr. Michael Garner, and they have two sons who graduated from Rome High School -- Michael Jr.(1994, now a USAF Captain and helicopter pilot) and Cary (1996, MSW degree from UGA in May, 2004, now working with DFACS in the Athens area).  She and her family are members of Oak Hill Church of Christ, where they are activily involved with several ministries.