MACON – Mercer University will kick off this year's Homecoming festivities Thursday with the dedication of the M. Diane Owens Garden at 5 p.m.
The garden is part of a project that was designed to enhance the south campus between Stadium Drive and Claude Smith Field. Previously a detention pond, the garden is now both a more environmentally friendly solution to filter runoff and a more aesthetically pleasing gathering place. Since construction was completed at the beginning of fall semester, the garden has become a popular spot for photos and a tailgating location for football games, as well.
Owens (CLA '77, LAW '80), a native of Brunswick, is currently serving her second term on the Board of Trustees. She was elected the first female chair of the board in 2011.
She is a member and former chair of the Mercer Athletic Foundation board and a member of the President's Club and the Mercer Law School Board of Visitors. While at Mercer, she competed in intercollegiate athletics on the basketball and tennis teams and served as director of the women's intramural program for two years.
As a partner with Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers LLC, Owens, who resides in Lilburn, concentrates her practice in product liability and general litigation and serves as regional trial counsel for several companies, including Chrysler Group LLC, Otis Elevator Company and Sanofi Pasteur Inc. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, American Bar Association, Atlanta Bar Association, Product Liability Advisory Council and International Association of Defense Counsel.
Owens has published articles in professional journals and appeared as a speaker at continuing education seminars sponsored by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education for the State Bar of Georgia, Georgia Defense Lawyers Association, University of Georgia and Georgia State University. She is a member and parishioner of St. John Catholic Neumann Church.
Parking for the dedication will be available in the lot adjacent to Claude Smith Field, accessible from University Center Drive.
