There is a reason the highest award bestowed to a member of the Order of the White Jacket is called the Jim Seu Award.
Jim’s Colonial Restaurant was a true embodiment of the ideals of the OWJ. The restaurant, owned by Jim and Ed O’Connell, employed hundreds of students over the years. Located at the site of the present Green Leafe Restaurant, the restaurant moved to the site of the present Colonial Pancake House in the 1970s. Story after story has been told of students who worked there on a mainly part-time basis to help with their college education expenses.
The system of hiring and paying was unique. When Jim and Ed became aware that one of their customers was in need of money, they would offer them a job — whether they wanted one or not. In addition, if one was a little short one week, the two would let him work a few extra hours, even if they didn’t need the extra help. If you lived too far away to go home for a short holiday, there would always be time for you to work, even though everyone else had gone home.
Their system of compensation ensured that the money that they made was not wasted. The worker was paid one meal for each hour that he worked. In those days, if you were a freshman or sophomore and you worked in the restaurant for five meals a week, you were excused from dining in Trinkle Hall and the meal money that was included in your tuition was refunded.
True to the family atmosphere that the students felt while working at the Colonial, the restaurant served as a regular gathering place for locals and alumni and friends for years after they left the school.
Jim was honored by William & Mary in 2000 when he served as the grand marshal at Homecoming. In this capacity, his contributions were publicly recognized. Jim was active in OWJ until his death in 2002.
His legacy lives on through the Order of the White Jacket with the J. Seu Scholarship (3357) and scholarship funding provided through the Order of the White Jacket Fund (0579).
