Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne and the Irving City Council recognized Diann Contestabile as an Irving High Spirited Citizen on Thursday, Jan. 10, for her consistent dedication and creative leadership in the Irving community.
An Irving High Spirited Citizen gives freely of their time, service and commitment to the city of Irving, adding character and inspiring others to lead in pursuit of a high quality of life in Irving. For nearly 35 years, Contestabile passionately serves and contributes much of her time and talent to many Irving organizations.
Currently serving her third year as president of the Irving Junior Book Review Club, Contestabile is also a member of the Las Colinas Country Club; Las Colinas Women’s Association; Church of the Incarnation Catholic Church at the University of Dallas; and is a life member of the Irving Heritage Society. Throughout the years she volunteered much of her time to Irving Cares, Lyric Stage League’s Cabaret benefit, Irving Firefighters’ Ball and many others.
A lover of the arts and one of Irving entertainment’s biggest fans, Contestabile holds season tickets to the Irving Symphony, Lyric Stage, Las Colinas Symphony, Irving Chorale and the Entertainment Series of Irving. She’s a long-time participant in the annual Oriental Art Association show held at the Irving Arts Center; is a member of Ikebana International’s Dallas Chapter; has won many red, white and blue ribbons at the State Fair of Texas photography shows; and in past years her floral arrangements appeared in shows at the Trammell Crow Museum of Art located in Downtown Dallas.
In addition to contributions to the arts, community philanthropy and her church community, Contestabile also contributed to the future leaders of Irving, working for several years as an Irving Independent School District high school substitute teacher. After that, she worked at Eagle Forest Products, Inc., a lumber brokerage firm in Irving owned by her husband, Joseph Contestabile, where she worked until 2005.
The High Spirited Citizen program was initiated in 1988 by the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau. Its purpose is to encourage the spirit of volunteerism. To date, more than 400 of Irving’s “unsung” heroes have been honored with the award.
