Michael Courage and Elizabeth St. Pierre

Michael R. Courage '97 is engaged to Elizabeth St. Pierre, a recent graduate of the University of Rhode Island.

The couple met six years ago at a picnic for users of electronic bulletin board systems. They became romantically involved three years ago in July.

Since then, they have taken turns visiting each other on the weekends. "It did stop me from ever doing homework on a weekend," says Courage. "If you're going to visit someone at the University of Rhode Island, it's pretty hard to do your CS161 homework."

Before Courage proposed to St. Pierre in February, he had solicited a newsgroup for creative proposals. One person suggested he surprise her in the shower with the ring, accompanied by the music from "Psycho." Another suggested suspending the ring from the ceiling so she would see it when she woke up. In the end, though, he went with an idea suggested by his fiance's housemate.

"I went over to her house while she was at a doctor's appointment, and I hid in the basement," he says. "Her housemate made up this scavenger hunt for her because it was her birthday, and I was at the end of it."

"It was lots of fun, because I could hear her running around upstairs looking for clues."

According to Courage, the couple plans to move to Seattle this summer, where he will work for Microsoft and she hopes to teach. They will return to Rhode Island for their wedding next August.