Nearly three decades ago, a long bench outside a computer lab at Humber College’s North Campus became an unofficial gathering place for a group of students looking for somewhere to pass the time between classes.
None of them expected the friendships formed there would still be going strong nearly 30 years later.
For Humber alumnus Peter Mangaser, that bench located on the second floor of the H building near room H211 became the centre of a community that has grown from classmates into lifelong friends and, eventually, extended family.
Mangaser arrived at Humber in 1996 to study computer engineering technology, a program that was supposed to take three years. Like many students juggling life and school, his path stretched longer than planned. He eventually graduated in 2001.
But what he remembers most from those years isn’t the coursework.
“At first it was all study, but then eventually you meet new friends and when you meet new friends, they meet new friends and then more of you meet new friends, and then it became a big community for us here,” Mangaser said.
The group gravitated toward the bench because it was a convenient place where students from different programs could gather between classes.
“When new people were introduced, they told us to just go to the set of benches beside the room H211. They’re gonna look for that room, and then they’re gonna see the bench there, and then there’s gonna be a lot of Filipinos hanging out talking, having fun,” Mangaser said.
By 1997, what started as a small group of friends had grown into something much bigger.
“It basically ballooned into like more than 50 people,” Mangaser said.
The bench became a constant presence in their daily routines. Students dropped by between lectures, waited out long gaps between classes and caught up with friends they might not otherwise see during the day.
Sometimes those meetups were productive. Other times, not so much.
“That’s where a lot of skipping happened,” Mangaser said with a laugh.
Instead of heading back to class, a few friends might decide to walk over to a nearby mall or grab lunch at local restaurants. One favourite was Abacus, a buffet spot that offered an all-you-can-eat meal for $7.99, a deal that fit perfectly into a student budget.
For many in the group, it also became a place of support, especially for students adjusting to life in a new country.
“A lot of us were new to Canada during that time. A lot of us were looking for somebody to connect wit,h and then a lot of those people worked out,” Mangaser said. “It kind of makes you feel at home when you’re here. You don’t just go to school and then study and then go home.”
Over time, the group became known simply as the Bench Crew, a nickname that came quite literally from the place where they spent so much of their time.
At one point, the group even marked their territory.
“We found a block of wood where we’re sitting, and basically just to mark the occasion, we wrote down every name we could think of that hang out in that area. Not only that, it was all the jokes, all the teases, all the nicknames that we have for everybody, and that’s kind of what made it official that this is basically our area,” Mangaser said.
Back then, none of them imagined those friendships would last long after graduation.
Even after finishing school, many members of the Bench Crew stayed in touch. Weekend movie nights turned into birthday celebrations. Casual hangouts turned into holiday traditions.
“Some people find other things to do, and they went their own ways, but the ones that are tight kept that going,” Mangaser said.
Today, the group still gathers regularly, especially for their annual Bench Christmas parties, which have become a long-running tradition.
Over time, something even more unexpected happened.
Their children grew up together.
Among them is Mangaser’s son, Basti Mangaser, who has grown up surrounded by the same group of friends his father met decades earlier at Humber.
For Basti and the other kids, the friendships passed down from their parents feel just as natural.
“They’re like family. Before they were the Bench Crew, they were friends. I consider the Bench kids — that’s what we call ourselves — like one big family,” Basti said.
The younger generation now refers to themselves as the “Bench Kids,” carrying on the legacy of the group that started with their parents’ college days.
Family parties have become a highlight of the year, especially the Bench Christmas celebrations.
“We look forward to the Bench Christmas parties. Birthdays too. We always hope it’s Bench parties,” Basti said.
One of his favourite memories was a vacation where several Bench families travelled together on a cruise, something he says felt like the ultimate reunion.
“We had this really amazing vacation where we went on a cruise, all the people in the close, tight Bench Crew. It was one of the most memorable vacations any of us had,” Basti said.
Looking back, Mangaser says the friendships built during those years at Humber evolved into something deeper than he ever expected.
“It’s like from friends to family,” Mangaser said. “We’re that close that we don’t care what we tell each other. We’ve known everybody for so long that it’s no more of a friendship — it’s family.”
