When Gerald was eight, Alvar Hanso stayed with his family while attending the University of Michigan (located in Ann Arbor, MI) as a foreign exchange student. Alvar bonded with the DeGroots, particularly Gerald, and stayed in contact with them over the years. Later, Gerald, and his future wife Karen, attended the University of Michigan as well, and were both doctoral candidates there. ("[[|]]") When Gerald was a graduate student, he contacted Alvar, asking for funding for his and Karen's new project, the DHARMA Initiative. ("[[|]]")