On May 3, family, friends and community leaders gathered to celebrate the life of Diane Holland, a longtime Tomball resident and chamber of commerce leader within multiple organizations.
Holland died on April 27, leaving behind a 30-year legacy not only in Tomball and Magnolia, but throughout the state, said Bruce Hillegeist, president of the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce.
“[The] chamber of commerce was in Diane’s blood,” Hillegeist said. “She really brought a lot of life and vitality to the chamber during her years. She was very well-connected in the chamber of commerce world and served as the first female chair of the Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives.”
Holland worked with the Tomball chamber from 1972-93. In that time, she organized and developed several chamber events, such as Tomball Night and the Miss Tomball Pageant, and helped to promote the city.
“In her tenure, she brought a lot of jobs and prosperity to Tomball,” Hillegeist said. “Several of the companies that she was instrumental in bringing include the now Baker Hughes campus, American National Carbide and Wal-Mart.”
Hillegeist said Holland helped to literally put Tomball’s name on the map, by lobbying to change the name of a portion of Hwy. 249 to Tomball Parkway, and Tomball College, before it was changed to Lone Star College-Tomball.
In addition to commerce, Hillegeist said Holland was also responsible for many iconic features in the city, including the design for the “Welcome to Tomball” sign on Business 249 and FM 2920, and several of the city’s slogans, including “Tomball: Hometown with a Heart.”
“You can see her fingerprints on most projects that are lasting here in Tomball,” he said. ”Her creativity flowed like honey. She had a quick wit—she could make decisions and come up with one-liners in seconds.”
After leaving the chamber, Holland was elected to Tomball City Council in 1996 and served until 2003. In 2002, former Tomball Mayor Hap Harrington appointed Holland to head planning for the Tomball Centennial celebration in 2007, which included monthly events culminating in a large year-end celebration attended by former President George H.W. Bush and a number of past and present city leaders.
“Anything she did was first class and was to be remembered,” he said.
According to an obituary from her daughter, Lee Ann Nicholson Fuselier, in her later years, Holland also served as president of the Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce from 2008-12. During that time, she reportedly improved and expanded the organization’s involvement in the community, growing membership from 70 to 270 members.
“She was someone who I highly respected, regarded and who I truly, truly loved,” Hillegeist said. “We’re going to miss Diane Holland— it’s a big loss for our city to lose such a beloved leader who gave of herself in so many ways.”
Community Service
In addition to the Tomball and Magnolia chambers of commerce, Diane Holland served with several organizations in the Greater Houston area:
- American Business Women’s Association
- Boy Scouts of America
- First Baptist Church of Tomball
- Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Go Texan Committee and Speakers Bureau
- Lone Star College Advisory Board
- Salem Lutheran Church
- Spring Creek County Historical Association
- The Regional Arts Council
- TOMAGWA
- Tomball Little League
- Tomball Museum Center
- Tomball PTA
- Yellow Rose of Texas Republican Women
