Memorial Hall gymnasium (1939)
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By BSU Alumni & Foundation

Published 7:00 am on February 1, 2025

Travel back in time with us as we remember some of the momentous moments of Bemidji State history from the month of February.

Feb. 2, 2008: Amy Lawson set a single-game scoring record for the Bemidji State women's basketball team, scoring 39 points to help the Beavers defeat Minnesota State Moorhead 92-91 in overtime at the BSU Gymnasium. Lawson shot 12-for-19 from the field, 5-for-7 from the 3-point line and 10-for-13 at the free-throw line. Lawson's performance upstaged her record-setting 38-point game from two weeks prior, which broke a 14-year-old program record.

Feb. 9, 1940: The sparkling new Memorial Hall was dedicated and broken in with the men's basketball team defeating Mankato 38-27 in front of 1,800 fans (even though capacity maxed out at 1,200). The building reflected wonderfully well with the art deco style still popular at the time. The rounded corners, the rounded curlicues in the expansive lobby, even the aluminum hand railings rolled into twisted, curved round balls at the ends, made it less a building than an art form to treasure. For its day, the building was a marvel. People drove for miles just to see it. Witnesses described the dropped jaws of the young lads who had just walked in – they had never seen a building so big in their lives!

Feb. 11, 1919: The committee tasked with selecting an inaugural president unanimously elected Manfred W. Deputy at a salary of $4,000. He accepted two days later. Manfred W. Deputy moved to Bemidji in 1919 and served as the first president of Bemidji Normal School. During Deputy’s presidency, peak enrollment was 537 during the summer session of school in 1924. During the Deputy era, the school had three main buildings: an academic building, a dormitory and a heating plant. The academic building was the main building and is now known as Deputy Hall.

Feb. 14, 1918: Architectural plans for the main building (now known as Deputy Hall) were approved by the Normal School Board to be 145 feet by 55 feet, of brick and Kasota stone. A general contract was awarded to Klarquist and Sons of Minneapolis. The cornerstone was laid by Judge C.W. Stanton in August 1918 under the auspices of the Masonic order, with Governor J.A.A. Burnquist delivering the address for the occasion.

Feb. 20, 1949: Bemidji State held a dedication ceremony for the grand opening of its new library, which was an addition onto the southeast end of present-day Deputy Hall. The building was completed for $250,000. It boasted 8,192 square feet of floor space, including a basement, two stairwells and two large corridors – making for 22 rooms in all. The largest of these, the main adult reading room, had 1,521 square feet, while the smallest was a music listening room with only 35 square feet.

Library (1964)

Feb. 29, 2020: Goaltender Lauren Bench recorded a program-record 70 saves for the Bemidji State women's hockey team, carrying the Beavers to a 2-1 playoff win over Minnesota Duluth in four overtimes. Bench saved all 64 of the final shots on goal she faced, and Reece Hunt scored the ultimate game-winner at the 8:43 mark of 4OT. BSU's victory forced a decisive Game 3 in the WCHA Tournament first round series, which the Bulldogs won a day later.

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