Granting Joy One Ride at a Time

If you’ve spent any time on Gonzaga University’s campus, chances are you’ve heard him before you’ve seen him. Grant Shipley (’97), a Gonzaga engineering graduate, pedals through campus on a custom bike outfitted with a musical trailer and an abundance of good cheer. His mobile soundtrack and contagious smile have become a regular part of Gonzaga’s rhythm—so much so that one student, upon hearing Shipley ride by, exclaimed: “This is the best part of the day!”

Returning Home

Shipley didn’t take a traditional path to Gonzaga. After a career change and with three young children in primary school, the University High School alumnus re-entered higher education through a displaced worker program. Spokane was home—and so was Gonzaga. The transition wasn’t easy. “The first shock was how woefully unprepared I was,” he said, recalling how the math he’d learned years earlier hadn’t stuck. “The second shock was how much older I was than everyone else.” But Gonzaga’s rigorous academic environment and the commitment of its community motivated him to persist. What surprised him most was the core curriculum—especially a class taught by Sister Mary Garvin that examined the contemporary Church. “I used to be anti-religion,” he said. “But I realized that was an academically lazy viewpoint. That class helped me see the Church not just as an institution, but as a community.”

From Engineering to Embrace

Though Shipley retired from his career as an engineer, the identity shaped him. “What does it mean to have a civil engineering degree from Gonzaga?” he mused. “It means I’m part of this community. That’s the only part I still cling to.” He uses his skills every day—the hard and soft ones. One day while pedaling near the music building, a couple of students on One Wheel boards waved him over. “You don’t happen to have a six-millimeter Allen Wrench, do you?” they asked, and Shipley grinned, replying, “As a matter of fact, I do!” The students chuckled, “I knew you would!”

He remains an active presence on campus, sometimes considered a “father figure” by students. “I’m not quite the age of their parents, but I’m closer to that than I am to being a peer,” he said with a smile. Still, students gravitate toward him. Many know him only as the music-riding man who shows up just when a moment of levity is needed. And for Shipley, that’s enough.

A Light on Campus

Shipley radiates joy, not because life has been easy, but because he chooses it. “I don’t have many reasons in life not to be happy,” he said. “I feel really lucky. I’ve had a good life. I don’t know what I did to earn it, but I’m sure thankful for it.”

His joy is humble, never showy. Whether he’s passing out slices of homemade pie, helping someone with repairs, or simply riding by, his presence says what he rarely does aloud: “You belong here.”

And the students see it. “They light up when they see you,” one staff member told him. “You bring light wherever you go.”

One More

That phrase—“One more?”—carries special weight for Shipley. It was part of a silent ritual he shared with his tango partner, Michael Ann, before her untimely passing. After each dance, one of them would ask, “One more?” and the other would always reply, “Yes, please.” The day she died, they had danced for what they didn’t know would be the last time. Now, Shipley honors her memory through quiet ritual. He visits the house where she once lived, pausing at the front steps. “Join me, Michael Ann,” he says under his breath. Then he rides on. His grief hasn’t dimmed his joy—it has deepened it. “We’re all temporary,” he said. “But the community? That’s what matters. That’s how we get through things: together.”

Advice from the Fez

In the winter, Shipley trades his bike helmet for a fez—a ski hat that earned him a nickname on Mount Spokane. “About 30 years ago, I just pulled it out of a pile at the ski swap,” he laughed. “Now I’m ‘The Fez’ on the mountain.”

His advice to Gonzaga students—especially engineers—is simple: “Be the person on the white horse. The one who steps in when others say, ‘I don’t know how to fix this.’ That’s what engineering is: solving the problems no one else can.”

A Joyful Belonging

Grant Shipley didn’t set out to become a Spokane icon. He didn’t plan to be known. “I never imagined it. I never tried to become that,” he said. “But it’s kind of wondrous, I guess.” Even if the attention fades, he says he’ll still show up—with his bike, his music, and his enduring belief in community. “I’d do anything I can to support this place,” he said. “It’s my community.”

And the feeling is mutual.

You can join Grant in having an impact for students, and you don’t even have to have a custom-built ride with a curated playlist of tunes: simply make your donation to the Fund for Gonzaga to show students current and future, “You matter, and you belong here!”