By SANDRA THAMES / Community Columnist

Diana Miller was born in Little Rock, Ark., in 1937.

When she was 9 years old she and her family moved to Memphis, Tenn.

Miller was a 16-year-old high school senior when she met her husband-to-be, Bob Miller.

He was a Marine instructor at Millington Naval Base outside Memphis, and they met on a blind date.

Miller graduated at 16 and worked for one year before marrying and moving to Bob’s “yankee” hometown of Detroit, Mich.

After one year in Detroit they moved to Dallas, Texas, where Bob attended Southern Methodist University on the GI Bill.

They spent nine years in Dallas, where both their children were born, and then over the next nine years they followed Bob’s job to Atlanta, Ga., Hacienda Heights, California, Memphis, Tennessee and Winston-Salem, N.C.

They then moved to Alabaster in 1974, and the children said, “We don’t want to move anymore.”

The Millers have two children and seven grandchildren.

“When we moved to Alabaster in 1974 I went to work at a manufacturer’s sales office,” Miller says. “I was employed there for over 29 years.”

In 1992 the Millers took their dream trip with best friends and neighbors, Terry and Jackie Maynard.

Terry was then pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Alabaster.

The Millers’ church is First Presbyterian of Alabaster, where they have been members since 1975.

“Being an active member at FPCA has been a home that I had never enjoyed previously in several denominations,” Miller says. “I love this church and the caring people herein.”

As soon as Miller retired in 2003 she volunteered to work the polls.

The county provided training before the primary elections.

“The work day is long and somewhat hectic, but it is a great way to meet a bunch of new people,” says Miller.

Working at the polls from approximately 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. makes for a long day, but Miller is right there at the first seat doing her duties with a ready smile for everyone.

Miller says, “It is a privilege and a duty to vote,” and she believes strongly in what she does.

Miller’s best piece of advice is: “Don’t put off your dreams, do it before it is too late.”