The door to Shane Brightly’s office is covered with letters from students. Birthday cards, thank-you notes and friendly messages plaster the door. Some are scribbled with well-wishes. I wandered down to his office in the basement of Russell Sage to ask him for an interview. His door was open, of course.
Not all students would credit their dorm custodian with significantly influencing their college experience. In fact, some students probably don’t even know who their dorm custodian is. As someone who sees him most mornings as I leave for class, I can say that Brightly is different.
I sat down with Brightly in the newly renovated Russell Sage basement lounge to talk about everything he loves, from his job here to the Boston Bruins to his two dogs, Diesel and Bandit.
“I grew up in a really small town north of here called Monroe, until I was in the fourth grade, and then my parents decided, ‘We want to move out West,’” Brightly said. “That was quite a shock for me when I was that age, because here I was just a little country boy, and we move out to the big city.”
His mother, Terril Ward, was a waitress, “the type of mom that would hide behind every corner and jump out at you to try to scare you,” Brightly said. He called himself the class clown, like his mother, who he said “was always a goofball.”
“I got in trouble in kindergarten because I was having fun dancing on the lunch tables,” Brightly said. “Of course, that didn’t blow over very well, and I got in trouble for it. If I could do anything to make you laugh or just be goofy or silly, that was me.”
He didn’t meet his biological father, David Brightly II, until he was 18 years old, so he said he did not have a large influence on his life.
His family moved to Phoenix, where they lived until he turned 21, he said, adding it was hard to adjust to new surroundings.
“My mom and my sister both have a rare condition, being half albino, so they have two different colors of hair and two different colors of skin,” he said. “My sister was getting in fights every day.”
Brightly left Arizona after over a decade, moving to Louisiana, Minnesota, Colorado and Massachusetts. A lover of travel, Brightly has visited 48 out of 50 states, Canada and Mexico.
“I’d love to get over to Europe some day,” he said. “After I buy my house that’s my next goal. I want to get over there and see Italy and Ireland and England.”
But New Hampshire’s pull was undeniable. He said he appreciates the solitude of the surroundings, the beauty of nature. Brightly lives on the farm on which his mother grew up.
“Up where I live, there’s nothing,” Brightly said. “We don’t even have a store in my town. I tell everyone when they’re driving through ‘Don’t blink ’cause you’ll miss it.’ We don’t even have a high school.”
Twelve years ago, he found his first job at Dartmouth through his uncle Ted Ward, who at the time worked as a custodian at Alumni Gym and squad leader for Facilities, Operations and Management. With 10 years of experience working at Red Lobster and Outback Steakhouse, he landed a job at the Courtyard Cafe.
After four years of working with Dartmouth Dining Services, Brightly needed a change of pace. He yearned for a more relaxed environment.
“To be honest with you, I really just wanted to get out of food service,” Brightly said. “When people are hungry, they’re hungry. I never really thought food service should be that stressful of a job, but my gosh, it’s so stressful, it’s ridiculous.”
Despite a $2 per hour pay cut, the change from DDS to custodial work massively increased Brightly’s quality of life. Lower stress levels and the opportunity for meaningful interactions with students are, according to Brightly, just some of the benefits of his custodial job.
“I’m so much happier,” he said. “When I was in dining services, you stepped up and I took your order. I had a few students that would stop, and they would make a point to get to know you. I feel like now I talk to you guys more and get to know you guys more. My stress level is next to none.”
When I reciprocated this appreciation for my daily interactions with Brightly, pointing out how much Russell Sage residents value him and his company, Brightly reiterated his love for his job at Dartmouth.
“I’m just me and that’s all I can be,” Brightly said. “I’m here for you guys. If you guys didn’t choose to come to Dartmouth College, I wouldn’t have a job, and I wouldn’t be here. Don’t get me wrong, Dartmouth College isn’t all roses, but I love working here. I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.”
Brightly’s compassion for students certainly does not go unnoticed by Russell Sage residents.
Regan Plekenpol ’17, a current resident, said Brightly is the most upbeat Dartmouth employee she’s encountered.
“He’s there for the little emergencies, cheerfully rescuing me from being locked out or helping me break down boxes,” Plekenpol said. “But more importantly, he was there for my bigger dramas.”
When she moved rooms, Brightly noticed some of her belongings left outside her old door. He hid them away safely, and upon her return she said she was flooded with relief.
Jenna Vickers ’14, a current and former Russell Sage undergraduate advisor who has known Brightly for three years, said Brightly is invested in the lives of the building’s residents.
Another resident, Lulu Carter ’17, similarly raved about his kindness. Brightly, she said, is the “reason why everyone should want to experience living in Russell Sage.”
Many residents of Russell Sage have met Brightly’s dogs, a rescued pitbull named Diesel and beagle named Bandit. Bringing his dogs to work at residents’ request is one way Brightly goes above and beyond his normal custodial duties.
“I’ve got the biggest pitbull I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said. “He’s an absolute lovebug — he would lick you to death before he’d ever think about biting you. The dog’s all heart.”
Often sporting a Bruins hat at work, Brightly is an avid fan of all Boston sports teams — except the Patriots.
Last year, one student bought him two Red Sox tickets as a going away gift. The steep price of sporting tickets prevents him from going as often as he would like, though he said he plans to attend a Bruins’ playoff game for his birthday this year. He also frequents Dartmouth hockey games.
In his free time, Brightly said he enjoys riding motorcycles, four-wheeling, hunting, fishing, snowboarding, hiking — any outdoor activity.
Brightly never married and has no kids.
“It just never happened,” he said. “I think dating up here is hard because there’s not a whole lot of selection. I’ve always been a little bit of a loner anyway. As long as I’ve got my friends and my family, I’m happy.”
Brightly sees himself, first and foremost, as an optimist. In his 20s, he experienced a shift in attitude and decided he wanted to start living a positive lifestyle.
“When I left Phoenix, I was a negative Nelly because it was hot, and I didn’t like the heat,” he said. “When I left Arizona it was just like, ‘You know what, I’m leaving all that behind me.’ It was beautiful, it was an experience, but I was just not happy out there. I don’t want to live my life in doom and gloom.”
