From Colonel Tucker’s to the Whitebone Pizzeria, space is home to many fond memories for UNBSJ alumni
Author: UNB Alumni
Posted on May 18, 2021
Category: UNB Saint John
It's Friday evening and live music bounces off the walls of the Thomas J. Condon Student Centre, as students unwind after a day of classes and take the stage for open mic night. Friends gather over games of bubble hockey, while decks of cards lay across tables from the afternoon's many rounds of 45s.
That's what a day in the life of the infamous Colonel Tucker's Bar looked like for many UNB Saint John alumni in the late 90s and 2000s, and throughout the years the space was home to many other traditions and tales still told by graduates.
"Colonel Tuckers was the one place on campus that you could always go and find a familiar face." says UNB alumna Tracey McMullen (BBA’02).
"I cut my teeth in bar management back in 1995 working what was then known as Colonel Tuckers. That bar funded a big part of my education," says Saint John entrepreneur Peter Stoddart (BBA'99). "Little did I know how valuable the skills I learned and the networking that happened back then would be for me today."
The Student Centre has long been the gathering space for students - a place to socialize, work and celebrate with the campus community - so alumni are sharing the excitement surrounding the recent announcement made by UNB Saint John and the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) of the space's relaunch as the new Whitebone Pizzeria.
Following an extensive refurbishment, the new pizzeria-style eatery will open in the Thomas J. Condon Student Centre located in the space which was previously the Whitebone Lounge conference room and the Colonel Tucker's Bar. The space has been remodelled into one large, open-plan.
In the UNB Newsroom announcement, SRC president Patrick Hickey says “It’s going to be a great area for students to socialize and unwind after class and I’m hoping that everyone has a chance to go and try it out when it opens, and in the fall."
The new space features a pizza oven at its centre, and will provide a larger gathering area for future alumni to connect and to make their own fond memories of their university days.
"I made lifelong friends and colleagues and refer to that space often." says Peter. " I can’t wait to see the new changes coming to my favourite university. Not all education happens in classrooms!"