Diane Garner, author of
Letters from the Big Bend, Legacy of a Pioneer
Diane Garner, now retired, had a diversified 25 year career as an educator with the Houston Independent School District including classroom experience, administration and training with a focus on successfully integrating technology into the curriculum. Until now, her previous writing was for professional education magazines. She has a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree and a Master of Education (MEd) degree from The University of Houston after completing three years of undergraduate work at The University of Texas.
Her interest in her family history waxed and waned over the decades. She has been working on the book (transcribing and digitally reproducing the letters) since 1963 when her mother shared them with her. It was an emotional journey to read the letters which provided much insight into the many aspects of her forebears. She transcribed her grandfather’s letters in 1975 into a booklet as a Christmas present to her mother. But her own life, raising children, teaching, widowhood and then a new marriage absorbed her attention. When she retired in 2002, she digitally reproduced the letters. In 2008, she enrolled in a memoir writing class and began in earnest to write her family’s story.
Diane lives in Houston, Texas. Born in Harlingen, Texas, she was raised in Giddings and is a 1959 graduate of Giddings High School. She moved to Houston in the early 60s. She is married and enjoys sharing time with her son and daughter as well as her husband’s two daughters and their families. She is an active member of Memorial Lutheran Church and School. She enjoys reading, traveling and participating in several social and charitable organizations.
