Anthony J. Waller. Photo courtesy of David Starrett Tony Waller: Giving Expertise, Energy, Time and Money to MSU by Marjorie Smith It's an assignment you might never imagine existed: when the Iran-Contra investigation was underway, someone had to select furniture and wall decorations for offices in the Department of Justice dedicated to the case. Back in the late 1980s, that someone was Anthony J. Waller, '81 Art. In his years in the bureaucracy, Waller, who also holds a master's degree in public administration from American University, has risen well beyond selecting desks and lamps. He is now the chief administrative officer for the office of the chief architect in the General Services Administration, where he oversees a $29.5 million budget and the administrative aspects of design and construction policy for federal buildings. How does a boy from Wolf Point end up helping design the public face of the U.S. government? "I wanted to be an interior designer since age 12," Waller says. "When it was time for college, I was considering two schools in the West: MSU and one in Phoenix. I chose the one closer to home." Waller has never regretted his choice. "I studied with wonderful faculty at MSU," he says. He has stayed close to his alma mater since graduation. "Tony is a very important alumni for the School of Art," says Richard Helzer, director of the School of Art. "Not only has he helped us through his gift giving, but he's an extremely hard worker--a very active member of the school's advisory council." As with many bureaucrats, Waller's relationship with the U.S. Government came about by accident. "The Kennedy Center announced an internship program to study arts administration," Waller explains. "The second time I applied, in 1980, I got in. At a party I met some folks setting up the new Department of Education. You know how it is--you get sucked in and 25 years later you realize you're part of the system." Waller was one of the 2002 recipients of the Alumni Achievement Award from MSU. The Waller-Yoblonsky Gallery within the Senska Wilber Graduate Art Studios building on campus was named in his honor. Waller played a key role in the creation of the graduate art studios. "Rich Helzer came up with the idea of a fund-raising auction," Waller remembers. "But no one on the advisory board knew how to do an auction. As an administrative officer for the U.S. government, I thought I should be able to figure it out. So I read everything I could get my hands on, prepared a budget and working plan and presented it to the advisory board." Helzer gives Waller full credit for the success of the three Mountain West Contempoary Art Auctions. "He got us started. Tony was willing to do the leg work. And he's a wonderful networker." Waller thoroughly enjoys his visits back to Bozeman for advisory board meetings and the auctions, especially now that there's a gallery named for him. "It's really fun meeting the students," he says, "because their first assumption is that you're dead." Helzer is thankful the energetic alum is still around. "We're very grateful for all he's done for the School of Art," he says.