Michigan Tech alumni Dannett and Jerry Rice got engaged during the University's 2000 Winter Carnival. Twenty-six years later, their son Ethan is adding a new chapter to the family's Husky story, serving in the Blue Key National Honor Society vice presidential role his mother once held.
Michigan Technological University's Winter Carnival has sparked lasting memories for many a Husky. The 2000 Carnival, themed "Icy Predictions of Future Conditions," proved both unforgettable and prophetic for then-students Dannett and Jerry Rice, whose future took shape when Jerry surprised Dannett with a proposal in front of the audience at Winter Carnival Stage Revue, where students compete in Winter Carnival-themed comedic skits.
Jerry painstakingly arranged everything to pull off the proposal long before he took the stage that Thursday afternoon in the former Hancock High School auditorium, where Stage Revue was held for several years before it moved to the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, which opened on campus in October 2000.
"It was very pre-meditated," said Jerry, who met Dannett during her first year and his second at Tech. "We had started dating the year before, and you just know when you find the one that this is it."
"We were both rooming in Wads (Wadsworth Hall) and had mutual friends," said Dannett, whose maiden name is Slamka. Both engineering majors, they also had a statistics class together. When Dannett joined Michigan Tech's chapter of Blue Key National Honor Society, they got to know each other better. And they fell in love.
Blue Key has been planning and operating Winter Carnival at Tech since 1934. Jerry had been Stage Revue chair in 1999, and asked for the assignment again for one reason: He wanted to orchestrate popping the question to Dannett.
Jerry and Dannett had already talked about getting married after she graduated. About nine months earlier, they'd looked at engagement rings at Copper Country Mall, where Dannett showed Jerry the one she liked. He pretended to blow off the suggestion. Then he emptied his savings account at Wells Fargo Bank and went back to buy it.
Jerry asked a friend in his fraternity house to hide the ring in his room so Dannett wouldn't find it. And there it stayed, in a sock drawer, until the afternoon Winter Carnival Stage Revue show. Of the two Stage Revue performances held in those days, it had a more family-friendly atmosphere — and Jerry had carefully considered the seating arrangements.
"This was old school, before QR codes," he said. "I was responsible for all the tickets. Paper tickets. I strategically placed her on the aisle and all my friends were in that row, including the person taking the video."
But the well-laid plans were almost for naught. When Dannett showed up at Stage Revue, she told Jerry she couldn't stay. She needed a nap. She also needed to run out to check on the ice fishing event, and she was responsible for tabulating all the event scores. Plus, she'd taken on the Blue Key treasurer's position due to an unexpected vacancy.
"I was vice president and I had a million other things to do," she said. "I was gonna dip because I needed to check on other events."
"This is 25 years ago. So there weren't Google forms or other ways to update stats. She was wiped out," Jerry recalled.
Jerry used food to convince her to stay.
"When I'm stressed out, I forget to eat," Dannett said. "He promised he'd get me a candy bar at intermission and then I could leave."
Watch this Husky Wedding Proposal
Jerry and Dannett Rice did more than help run Michigan Tech's Winter Carnival in 2000. They also got engaged in a very public proposal at Stage Revue.
But when Jerry came onstage to announce intermission, he started off by praising the Blue Key vice president.
"I truly thought he was going to just embarrass me with an elaborate thank-you for being vice president. I was way too focused on all that Winter Carnival required to even have the capacity to think it would happen. In the video you can see the moment where I realize it's actually happening," said Dannett. "I was not expecting it that night!"
Eventually, Jerry came down from the stage.
"In this cynical world — in this unfair world — you give me the courage every morning to get up and face the day. If I had to describe how I felt about you, love wouldn't be a strong enough word. And I don't want that feeling to end," he said, before getting down on one knee.
Despite her dislike of surprises, Dannett said yes.
Dannett and Jerry married in 2001 and have five kids. Ethan, their firstborn, is currently a senior at Michigan Tech. He admires his dad's bold move, but has no intentions to replicate it.
"I think my parent's love story is very sweet," he said. "Though I'd like to propose to someone one day, I think doing it during Stage Revue would be very intimidating. My dad was extremely brave. And as a member of Blue Key myself, I know that the Carnival season was beyond busy for them. I could tell from the video that my mom must have been overwhelmed with emotions, especially after staying up for the All-Nighter."
As Blue Key's current vice president, Ethan is busy helping the student organization put the finishing touches on the University's 2026 Winter Carnival, which runs from Wednesday, Feb. 4, through Saturday, Feb. 7. As a former Blue Key vice president herself, Dannett knows Ethan's duties well — and she's been watching him take them on with pride.
"It is so much fun to watch him be VP! I know he has the organizational skill and attention to detail to manage all of the tasks that it requires," she said.
From Engagement to an Engineering Encore
Like his mom and dad, Ethan enjoys math and science, excels in both subjects, and knew he wanted to be an engineer before he began applying to colleges. In April 2026, he'll join the ranks of Michigan Tech College of Engineering alumni after earning his degree in electrical engineering, with a concentration in power engineering. He's also graduating with two minors, in mathematical sciences and alternative energy technologies.
Dannett double majored in chemical engineering and business administration, graduating in 2001. Jerry graduated in 2000, earning his bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering, which was renamed shortly after to materials science and engineering.
Dannett chose Michigan Tech after a memorable weekend visit to campus. She was 16 when her dad dropped her off at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, where buses were waiting to take students up to MTU. The group camped out in sleeping bags at the Student Development Complex. "That was in the '90s. That was what you did," said Dannett, laughing. "And then, one of the campus tours was with a chemical engineer, a woman. And that was like, OK, yes! This is cool."
"I liked that Tech was far away. And I liked the freedom to be as nerdy as I wanted to be. It was like, how much can I do?"
Jerry found out about Tech from the counselor at his Catholic high school in Racine, Wisconsin.
"My parents drove me up there and I just fell in love with it," he said. "It was isolation from distractions in a good way, and a compact, beautiful campus with a well-respected engineering school — and I knew that Michigan Tech was going to be my home."
Dannett and Jerry were comfortable with whatever school Ethan decided on. But showing him the area during a family vacation to the Upper Peninsula proved very persuasive.
"We hit all the high points: Tahquamenon Falls, Pictured Rocks, Copper Harbor. And we wanted to stop at Tech because we're alumni, so we took the kids to campus. Ethan fell in love with it," said Jerry. "He didn't apply anywhere but Michigan Tech. He felt like, 'This is the place for me.' We didn't influence him at all. He's had the same type of experience that Nett and I had, and that I know many Tech students do. Tech is different from anywhere else in the United States. There's a unique experience that comes with Michigan Tech that is only shared by alumni."
"We knew Tech would be a perfect fit for our outdoor-loving nerdy Eagle Scout who wanted to be an electrical engineer."
Ethan's glad he chose his parents' alma mater, even though that wasn't why he decided on MTU.
"While I learned about Michigan Tech from my parents, it was ultimately my choice to go here," he said. "After touring different universities, Michigan Tech stuck with me the most."
His mom and dad had a stronger influence on Ethan's desire to be part of Blue Key, which inducts students based on scholastic and community involvement achievements.
"Their experiences were a large part of why I wanted to be a member myself," he said. "I believe that I have grown as a leader just as the organization has grown within the last couple of years. I've also learned about the camaraderie that Blue Key has had through its history, which inspired me to work to create more events for Blue Key members to develop friendships within the organization."
Rice is also member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Eta Kappa Nu Honor Society — and he's one of 244 scholars awarded the 2025-26 IEEE Power & Energy Society Scholarship, given to high-achieving undergraduates dedicated to exploring the power and energy field with standout commitments to extracurricular activities. Ethan learned about the scholarship from a professor in one of his power engineering courses.
"With the money from this scholarship on top of other scholarships and jobs that I have taken, I was able to pay for my senior year of college without taking out any student loans!" he said. "I'm very grateful for this award, as it also informed me about IEEE PES (Power & Energy Society), which is a network of other engineers who are interested in the power field."
In addition to his leadership in Blue Key, Ethan has coached at the Physics Learning Center for six semesters and done service projects, including working with the city of Hancock and Tech's Husky Food Access Network as a member of the coed service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, where in the past he also took on the vice presidential role. A member of the Michigan Tech chapter of the national electrical and computing honor society IEEE-HKN, he served as treasurer in the 2024-25 academic year, securing a grant aimed at continued growth of the organization.
But this week, Carnival is at the top of his to-do list, as it is for every Husky planning to be part of the event.
"I'm excited to see the hard work that everyone has put into making sure that this year's Winter Carnival runs smoothly," he said. "From my two previous years on Blue Key, that's been my favorite part of the Winter Carnival experience, seeing all of the love and care that everyone has put into the events that they're running as well as the hard work that all of the organizations put into building a statue, making a skit for Stage Revue and building into the atmosphere of Winter Carnival."
Dannett and Jerry thought about coming up to be with Ethan for his final Carnival. But they know all too well how busy he'll be. And their family schedule is also extremely full. The Rice family includes 20-year-old Noah and 18-year-old Naomi, who are attending college elsewhere, and 16-year-old twins Josh and Faith. Dannett has homeschooled all five children.
"On our first date we went to Perkins (a restaurant formerly in Houghton). Jerry was like, 'With your two degrees, what do you plan on doing?' And I said I had already interned for GM, so I'll probably go work for GM, but eventually I'm gonna be a stay-at-home mom," Dannett said, laughing. "On our first date! But I figured, look, if that's not what you want, I'm not wasting my time."
As it turned out, that was exactly what Jerry wanted. "I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else," he said. Dannett did work for GM before the Rices started their family. Jerry continues to work for the company. The family, which includes golden retriever Doug, makes their home in Flushing, Michigan.
Ethan, who is headed for a job at Black & Veatch after interning with the company the past two summers, plans to earn his professional engineering license so that he can work toward a leadership role with the company.
"As parents, my mom and dad have shown a lot of leadership qualities," he said. "They have also shown the famous Tech time management skills by working out the logistics of making sure that their five children made it to their respective sports and extracurricular activities. It just goes to show that you can take the Husky out of Michigan Tech, but you cannot take Michigan Tech out of the Husky."
Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
Comments