1990s

Gov. Steve Bullock appointed Galen Hollenbaugh ’90, M.P.A. ’08, Helena, to serve as the commissioner of the Montana Department of Labor & Industry. Hollenbaugh has worked for the state of Montana for more than 20 years and for Labor & Industry since 2012. He also served four terms in the Montana House of Representatives, representing southcentral Helena. 

Siew Te Wong ’97, M.S. ’02, Sandakan, Malaysia, founded and operates the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, the only sun bear sanctuary in the world. Found in the rainforests of south Asia, sun bears play a crucial role in keeping the woodland ecosystem healthy. Their population has decreased 30 percent over the past 30 years though, and they were officially classified as vulnerable to extinction in 2007. Wong and his team have rehabilitated and cared for 55 rescued sun bears since 2008, and the center currently cares for more than 40 sun bears. In July, CNN published a profile of Wong and his work as part of its “Heroes” series. 

“Sun bears became part of my family. When they’re endangered, I care for them. When they are in trouble, I speak for them,” he told the network. “I want to be the voice for the sun bear, to fight for the sun bear, to ensure the survival of the sun bear. But my ultimate goal is to save the entire forest ecosystem. That is so important to the survival of mankind.”

Joni Wallace MFA ’98, Tucson, Ariz., published “Kingdom Come Radio Show,” a book of poems chronicling the pale cast during the era of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s atomic bomb. The Poetry Society of America described “Kingdom Come Radio Show” as “tender, prescient, formally adventurous and … Keatsean in the beautiful and painful truths.” It’s available for purchase on Amazon.