Diane Holland’s image will live on at the Tomball Historic Depot Plaza if plans for a memorial statue are approved by city council later this month. Terry Schell, treasurer of the Diane N. Holland Memorial Statue Fundraising Committee, said the idea for creating a statue was raised at the reception following Holland’s funeral service May 3. “[People] said, ‘You know, Diane would not want us to do this, but we need a statue of her in Tomball—a life-size sculpture of her—as a tribute to her and all she’s meant to this community,” Schell said. Courtesy Lee Ann Fuselier[/caption] Holland worked with the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce for 20 years, served on the Tomball City Council for seven years and served as president of the Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce from 2008-12. She also played a role in developing several city events and bringing many businesses to Tomball. “She was an ambassador extraordinaire for this town and area in every respect,” Schell said. “She was relentless with energy, dedication and love. And there was no stopping her—she was indomitable.” The 7-person fundraising committee, chaired by Albert Thomas, must first receive the city’s approval for a place to put the statue when it’s completed. Schell said the committee hopes to place the statue in the Tomball Depot area with the statues of other Tomball icons. The committee is relying on donations from individuals and organizations with which Holland was involved to reach its $75,000 goal. The committee began receiving donations for the statue June 3 on its GoFundMe page. As of the time of publication, $920 had been donated on the page with additional funds having been received by committee members. Schell said the committee hopes to have the statue finished by the November Christmas parade in Tomball since Holland was greatly involved in Tomball’s pageants and events. Once funds are raised, the sculpting process can begin. Local artist Shirley Scarpetta created the sculpture of Tomball Depot station volunteer Ken Walden about a year ago and will also create the life-size bronze sculpture of Holland. “The sooner they can come up with the funding, the faster we can start on the process,” she said. “So it’s just a matter of getting everybody together and say[ing], ‘Yes, let’s do this.’” From start to finish, the process for creating the sculpture should take three months, Scarpetta said. The sculpture will be based off of a photo of Holland wearing a red dress and holding her beloved Shih Tzu, Ginger, who now lives with Holland’s son in Dallas. While Scarpetta is a lifelong resident of Cypress, she said she cares greatly for the Tomball community and views her work as a way to cement the legacy of the city’s icons. Scarpetta said she never met Holland, but she feels a connection to Holland’s work in Tomball. “She has touched me in a sense of the things that I’ve been able to do at the Depot for instance,” Scarpetta said. “Now I have a statue there forever, and…I’m able to provide people with the legacies of these human beings that need to be acknowledged for life.” Visit the committee's GoFundMe page here.