Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/352688
34 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | AUGUST 2014 TOP OF THE CITY Kip and his wife, Jennifer, will celebrate 20 years of marriage this November. They live in Newcastle with their two daughters, 16-year-old McKenna and 11-year-old Quinn. Kip tells the story about how he proposed to Jennifer. The young couple was enjoying a birthday dinner for her downtown. As they were eating, Kip re- membered he left his briefcase in a con- ference room near the top of Two Union Square. Jennifer knew he wouldn't want to leave it all weekend and said they should get it after dinner. A security officer who knew Kip let them up to the 55th floor. Naturally, Jennifer went to the window to enjoy the view. Kip joined her and began pointing out the buildings around them. Then he looked down at the WAC across the street. Kip already had the ring in his hand when Jennifer saw the sign. On a deck outside the 12th Floor of the WAC was the giant lettering Kip had arranged: Jennifer, marry me. Kip smiles. "The WAC was very supportive and accommodating to make that all happen," he says. BACK IN THE DAY Kip's introduction to the WAC came during his second day on the job at The Norman Company in 1990. A colleague told him to bring his gym bag so they could work out and play basketball. Kip joined the Club the following month. "It's been my home away from home for 24 years," he says. He quit playing bas- ketball about five years ago but still works out and conducts business at the Club. He also regularly hikes Cougar, Squak and Tiger mountains, all an easy drive from Newcastle. Kip's formal involvement with Club leadership dates to 1997, when he joined the Athletic Committee. He has since sat on every Board committee and been involved with Club planning and execution in all areas of the WAC. Since selling OfficeSpace.com, Kip has consulted extensively from Seattle to the Silicon Valley and held various ex- ecutive positions within the construction and corporate interiors industries. He also founded and operates The Spencer STRUCK BY THE TRAGEDY AT SPU ON JUNE 5, Kip Spencer was in Las Vegas on business. He was on his way to dinner when he heard the news. "It was a surreal thing," he recalls. "Learning the news and sitting down and weeping in a crowded mall. That is something as a grown man I didn't expect to do." "The news" was about the shooting at Seattle Pacific University, Kip's alma mater. One student was killed. Anoth- er two were injured before a student hall monitor subdued the attacker. Kip graduated from SPU in 1989 and sits on the business school's Executive Advisory Board, a role he's had since 2003. In an interview a few weeks before the shooting, Kip said he chose SPU for its location, small classes, and because "something really intrigued me about going to a small college that had a huge focus on ethics and integrity." SPU's motto is, "Engaging the culture. Changing the world." For better and for worse, the university, its students and alumni have been given an unprecedented stage to do just that. Their responses to the shooting have offered hope and healing in the face of an unimaginable tragedy. "Nothing will ever erase it," Kip says. "It's been amazing to witness the incredible unity of the entire SPU community during this time. I've never been more proud to be an SPU Falcon." SPU President Dan Martin talks with Kip on the university's 40-acre Queen Anne neighborhood campus.