16 | JUNE 27 • 2024
J
N
M
anifestation is a self-
help exercise that
refers to thinking
things into existence. David
Rodgers of Oak Park believes
it helped him find his wife. In
2005, he thought of a list of gen-
eral qualities he was looking for
in a significant other — and met
his wife-to-be soon after.
At the time, David was a
student at the University of
Michigan-Flint. Meanwhile,
Beth Alter was starting her
master’s degree at Wayne State
University after having recently
graduated from the University
of Michigan. Her mother con-
stantly urged her to attend Hillel
events. “You have to go; maybe
you’ll meet someone!”
“It’s always the same people,
Mom,
” Beth told her. Still, why
not?
In fact, Beth and David had
noticed each other once or twice
before at Hillel events, but the
first time they spoke was at the
Chanukah party at Joe Dumars
Fieldhouse in Shelby Township.
Beth arrived with her good
friend, Rachel, and David soon
joined them, playing laser tag,
putt-putt, chatting all the while,
clearly interested in a very obliv-
ious Beth. Laser tag especially
was a lot of fun, with high-scor-
ing players earning nicknames
like “rocket scientists” and
low-scorers — which included
both Beth and David — being
nicknamed “space cadets.
”
“
Actually, I didn’t catch her
name that night,
” David admit-
ted. “Then, at the end of the
night, I thought it would be
weird to ask her for her name
when I should have already
known it!”
He’
d wrongly assumed her
name was Dina and tried search-
ing for a Dina who attended
the University of Michigan,
but couldn’t find the right one.
Eventually, he came across Beth’s
picture on Facebook, confirming
that she was not, in fact, Dina,
and now he had the best way to
contact her.
A few days later, Beth received
a private Facebook message
from David as she walked into
her cousin’s Chanukah party.
“Seeing as we’re both space
cadets, I thought I’
d ask you out
for a coffee,
” David had written.
Still oblivious, Beth assumed
Rachel had gotten a similar invi-
tation but Rachel immediately
set her straight.
“David obviously likes you, he
hung around us all night!”
“I didn’t have a clue,
” Beth said
with a laugh.
On Dec. 29, they had their
first date — in three coffee
shops. The first one closed at 9,
the second closed at 10, and they
were still talking so they finally
found one that was open 24
hours a day that wouldn’t kick
them out!
“We hit it off and we’ve been
together ever since,
” Beth said.
They’
d both grown up in the
Metro Detroit area — Beth in
Southfield, David in Huntington
Woods — attended BBYO, had
friends in common and even
attended the same events.
“When Bill Clinton came on
his whistle stop tour in 1996,
we were both at the platform!
Who knows, we could have
been standing right next to each
other,
” Beth said.
Two years after meeting,
David was ready to pop the
question. He planned to propose
over dinner on the anniversary
of their first date in an Italian
restaurant in Windsor, but
changed his mind.
“We happened to be sitting
next to the guitar player, who
kept turning and looking at us
… it would have been awkward
and ruined the moment,
” David
recalled.
After dinner, they went to a
holiday light show, which David
thought might be a good pro-
posal place.
“But it was disappointing, just
10 reindeer, a Santa, and it was
bitterly cold. I decided it still
He Knew What
He Wanted
ROCHEL BURSTYN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OUR COMMUNITY
HOW WE MET
David and Beth
Rodgers with sons,
Jared, 8, Noah, 5,
and Evan, 11
Beth and
David at the
International
Auto Show
in 2006
The happy
couple at
their wedding
in 2008