Love was definitely in the air for 27 of our former students, who met at UNB, fell in love, and started a life together. Thank you to everyone who submitted their Love at UNB stories. Some stories have been edited for length and editorial style.
We met in our nursing class at UNB Saint John and got engaged the first day of classes of our fourth year. We are both now working as registered nurses at the New Brunswick Heart Centre at the Saint John Regional Hospital and are getting married this summer.
My husband watched me graduate with my undergraduate degree, and I didn’t event know it. He was attending the ceremony in 2010 to see his sister graduate, and it was only a few months later that we met. We didn’t realize until a year later that he had attended my graduation. Fast forward a few years later, he attended my master’s graduation. I can now say he attended all of my graduations from UNB.
I met my boyfriend, now my husband, at UNB. He was in my ECE 1013: Electricity and Magnetism class, which was mandatory for all engineering majors. I was in my first year of engineering and he had not taken this class in his first year but, was taking it in his second year (talk about fate). Dr. Phillip Parker, the professor who I had signed up with, had to go on leave and I ended up joining the same section as my boyfriend in Prof. Briggs' class (who happened to be one of my favourite profs. when I finally graduated).
Sparks literally flew in this class and we ended up taking quite a few engineering courses together, even though I was in electrical and he was in mechanical engineering. We got together for a lot of assignments at the Head Hall library, hung out at the Head Hall cafe, ate dinners, lunches at McConnell and Lady Dunn halls, spent long nights coding, working on projects at Head Hall labs on the second floor. Love found its way with all the long hours of mind-numbing work. I met him in the first month of starting UNB and now, 10 years after we graduated, we are married and had our first baby this year. UNB is where it all started and our lives literally changed forever.
Natalie – Coming from Prince Edward Island to attend UNB for my education degree, I arrived as an already certified lifeguard who worked summers on the beaches of PEI. As a student, I decided to help with my costs for attending university and took on a job working part-time at the two swimming pools on campus.
Jay - The first week of my first year at UNB, I read an ad in The Brunswickan about the UNB SCUBA Club, which was holding an information session about a SCUBA course at the Sir Max Aitken pool. Throughout my years at UNB, my extracurricular activities revolved around the UNB SCUBA Club. I spent a great deal of time at the pool and thought I knew all the lifeguard staff.
Natalie - January 1987, the start of my final term at UNB. The first Friday before classes resumed, I did my regular lifeguard shift at the Lady Beaverbrook Residence swimming pool and then headed down the hill to the Sir Max Aitken pool to cover someone's shift. That swim turned out to be the UNB SCUBA club’s regular night for students to practice their skills. As I sat in the lifeguard chair, my attention was continually caught by a male who was up to mischief and because he stayed under water, I could not get his attention to reprimand him. He would swim to the bottom of the deep end with flutter boards and aim them at swimmers above and let them fly. He undid lane ropes and attached them to unsuspecting divers as they swam by.
Jay - When I walked onto the deck of the pool, I went to chat with the lifeguards who (I thought), I knew all on a first name basis. There was a lifeguard working that night, someone I had never met before. This was a bit of a surprise, so I just turned and headed to the SCUBA equipment after waving a feeble ‘hello’ across the pool deck. I noticed several times when I popped my head up that the lifeguard was looking at me and afraid she was going to say something. I would duck underwater before she got the chance. At one point, I wanted to unhook the buoy line at the edge of the deep end, but it was right under the lifeguard seat where she was sitting. Looking up through the water, I could see her looking down at me so I kept my head underwater and reached up and unhooked the line. I then swam the line down and hooked it to another diver’s tank and swam away. I came to the surface at the other side of the pool (far away from her), but I could see her smiling to herself as the diver was trying to swim away and could not figure out why he was not going anywhere.
Natalie – SCUBA had always intrigued me so before the swim was over, I asked one of the divers who I would speak to about taking a course. When I spoke with this person, I was told the class for that term was full. Suddenly the mischief maker jumped out of the pool and walked up and said, “She’s in.” The reply was that they didn’t have enough gear. His answer, “She can use my gear.” And with that, he walked away.
Jay - In the four years, I was helping with SCUBA courses at UNB, they were always full.
Natalie - Over the next two and a half months, I got to know Jay, and although I thought he was interested in me, he just never asked me out. Finally, I decided enough was enough and invited him over for supper and the rest is history.
We married in 1990, and that fall Jay joined the RCMP. We have raised three fantastic children and have enjoyed a life of fun and adventure. We still dive together and now with our three children as well.
Philip and I met at UNB in 2015. We were both working facilities operations at The Richard J. CURRIE CENTER. We have a mutual love for physical activity, so it's only natural we met at the gym -- he is a powerlifter and I am a wrestler, plus we both have kinesiology degrees, with him pursuing strength and conditioning coaching and me, pursuing sport psychology. We started dating in 2016 and are both still very active in the UNB community, with him working for URec and me, still working for facilities operations, a grad student, and a member of the Reds wrestling team.
My husband Blair and I met at UNB in 1989 in our third year. We had known each other in high school but didn't meet again until UNB, as a result of both of us switching faculties and taking an accounting course together. Blair had switched from computer science to education, and I had switched from business to office management. By our fourth year, we were taking several of the same courses and hanging out pretty regularly. Our first date was Feb. 10, 1989 -- almost 30 years ago. We got engaged that Christmas and married in September 1990, after my graduation and just before Blair's. Fast forward a ‘few’ years, Blair now works at UNB, and our oldest son Parker is in his fourth year of arts and works at the alumni call centre. Spenser is in Grade 11 and cannot wait to (hopefully) enrol in the geomatics/geodesy program after graduation. We not only found #LoveatUNB, but we also found a university where everyone in our family has found a place they want to be.
I met my wife at UNB in 1996. I was a part-time, visiting history grad student from Royal Military College and was posted at CFB Gagetown. I was invited to a Ground Hog Day party (cause what else do you do on Feb. 2 in Fredericton) by Sarah Jane Corke (then a PhD student in history). Her roommate was a grad student in chemistry and invited 'my wife' to the party as well because she was being TAed by the roommate. It was too loud on the main floor, so we went downstairs and watched Bill Murray in Ground Hog Day. I gave her a ride home at 2 a.m. and invited her to go to the market that morning at 8.a.m. She accepted, and the rest was history. And do you know how hard it is to find groundhog items to commemorate that anniversary?
My wife went on to do a certificate in computer software and I did another MA in history and started a MEd and a PhD in interdisciplinary studies before finally getting a job in the Old Arts Building. We have a 16 year old son who plans on taking computer science at UNB in 2020 and a 13 year old daughter who wants to do pre-med and medicine at UNB in 2022.
My partner and I met during my frosh week events in September 2003, and it turned out we were both in kinesiology. He was the ‘hot guy’ in biology lab and I wasted no time making friends with him. He always had a girlfriend, but we were great friends throughout my time at UNB and even after I moved to Halifax. Flash forward 10 years later, and we finally started dating in 2013, married in 2014 and babies in 2015 and 2017. When we first got together, our friends from UNB all said, “FINALLY!” So, while it was obvious to everyone else for 10 years that we belonged together, it took a strong friendship base for us first. And I wouldn’t change a thing. We now live just outside Fredericton, the place where it all started.
My partner and I met in the fall of 1978, and were together for two years until graduation from UNB. We went our separate ways... I graduated with my BN from UNB in 1983. Thirty-five years later, we reconnected... back in 2015.
Caryn and I became friends during our first week at UNB. However, it wasn’t until midway through our fourth semester -- during a CE 3033 class (yes, I still remember the course number) -- that I finally managed to convince her to go on our first date. From there, we went on to complete not one, but two engineering degrees together. Since we were registered in pretty much all of the same courses, Caryn and I devised a mutually beneficial arrangement whereby she would take all the notes and I would calm her down before exams. We were also able to save a tonne of money by sharing one set of textbooks.
In August of 2006, while still in grad school, Caryn and I got married and held our wedding reception on campus at the SUB atrium (pretty sure all the money we saved on textbooks was spent on liquor that night.) Twelve years later, Caryn and I live in Hanwell, NB, with our children Allyson and Austin (who both enjoy cheering on the Reds at the AUC.)
Dale and I met in our fifth year of engineering, while living together in Lady Beaverbrook Residence; even though we actually knew of each other the previous year. Although we both had job offers in Toronto that would have had us working around the block from each other in the big city, we both went on to complete graduate degrees at UNB. Proud to say we are approaching our 19th wedding anniversary and are raising two amazing and inspiring children -- our girl is approaching 14 and our boy, 11. Happy to live in Saint John, especially with Dale working at UNBSJ, teaching his passion for engineering.
My husband and I met in economics class. We were both proud varsity athletes -- him swimming, me volleyball, l and both captains of our teams. We left UNB to do master’s degrees at Queens, and then were drawn back to beautiful Fredericton. We married in 1996 and started our family in 2000. Now fast forward to 2019 and our oldest son is in his first year at UNB (BSc Kin) and swims for the varsity swim team. What an incredible virtuous circle! #itbeganhere #loveatUNB
I met my wife on the first day of being on campus in September 1982. I tried to walk out a door from Neville House, but it was chained so we had to walk down the hall and out the front door. As I turned the corner, we ran into three girls who were also out exploring their new home. As I looked up, my eyes met those of the girl in the middle, and it was like someone hit me with a brick. I was head over heels in love. It was an amazing moment -- for me. She on the other hand was not impressed. Her first thoughts were not very encouraging. She thought I was little too sure of myself. We were both members of the UNB Saltos Gymnastics Team. We were married in 1988 at St. Dunstan’s, with a reception at the SUB Ballroom, catered by another UNB alum. Five kids later, Barb and I are enjoying a wonderful life. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t think of that chained door and give thanks to whoever put that lock in place. UNB gave us a lot of amazing memories and holds a special place in our hearts.
I met my amazing wife, Trina in 1984 at the Social Club, where I had the pleasure of working. Trina lived at McLeod House and I was from Fredericton, a UNB Red Devil from1983 to 1986. We dated for 10 years and got married in September 1994. We have a wonderful son Jordan, who is graduating from US Prep School this May, and recently committed to NCAA American International College, where he will play baseball as a student-athlete for the next four years. And it all started at UNB 35 years ago. How lucky am I?
My husband and I met at UNB, while both playing varsity basketball. We married in 1976, and both our children graduated from UNB -- Shanda (BSC’02) and Tyler (BCS‘06).
I agreed to 'help' my friend Warren bring a food package to his sister Lois Williams at the Lady Dunn women's residence. I saw her and fell in love on the spot. We were inseparable from then on, and got married in 1976. Our boys Jon (BA) and Matt (BBA), also graduated from UNB. #Dynasty #UNBMATCHUP
I met my wife, Pat in 1976. She spilled a beer on me at the Riverview Arms and later asked me to the Dunn formal. We were married in 1982. We have two daughters, Katie and Meggie. Meggie (BRSS’15) played five years for the Varsity Reds women's soccer team.
We met through the university intranet in 1989, then met in person in 1990. I was in arts, and he was in computer science. We were both very much involved at CHSR, where we both DJed. We ended up getting married on stage in Memorial Hall in 1994. It’s our silver anniversary this spring.
Gurp and I met in the lounge of Joy Kidd in 2002. We spent our university years together and we graduated in 2007. I graduated with BN and Gurp with a BSc. In 2011, I moved from Newfoundland to BC to be with Gurp, and in 2015 we got married. Three months ago, we welcomed our baby boy to the world.
We met at UNB, and our son Paul Savoie is studying history at UNB, as well as playing for UNB’s baseball team as part of the military’s ROTP program. My mom graduated from the Teacher’s College and my dad graduated from Ranger School; all part of UNB. A long UNB history.
My husband and I met at UNB in 2008, while he was living in Joy Kidd House and I was living in Lady Dunn Hall. We were friends first, and after many shared hours studying in the LDH lounge, we started dating in 2009. We were married in 2016 on Valentine’s Day. We are about to celebrate our three-year wedding anniversary and welcomed our baby girl (and maybe a future UNB alumna?) Scarlett this past September. UNB will always have a special place in our hearts. 🥰
We met at UNB in 1996 in the faculty of engineering. We started dating in 2000. We both started working at NB Power on the exact same day a few weeks after graduation in 2001. We got married in 2005 and now how two beautiful daughters who are 10 and 6.
We met at UNB in 1996 in the faculty of engineering. Twenty-plus years later, we have three children and have exciting careers in our province.
My husband and I met at UNB in 1989/90. He was starting, and I was finishing, our BBAs. Fast forward 30 years, and we are both employed at UNB, are both current students and have a son attending UNB (also working on his BBA)
We met at summer school in 1972 and married on Dec. 30, 1972. Our daughter, Amy Moore (BA’98) and son-in-law, Dr. Andrew Wear (BSc’98) married in August 2002. They met in 1995.
We met while working to complete our forestry degrees at UNBF. Graduated in 2003, started dating in 2005, married in 2010, and eight years later, here we are with our three girls, after welcoming the twins in September.
I met my husband Jason at UNBSJ in the summer of 2008. We both bartended weddings and other functions that summer for UNBSJ Conference Services, and also tended bar at first and last class bashes, and at Colonel Tucker’s, the campus bar during our final year. I was a member of the Seawolves women’s volleyball team from 06/07 to 08/09. My four years at UNBSJ were the best four years of my life. We have a 15-month old daughter Georgia, the new love of our life. #LoveAtUNB
