By BSU Alumni & Foundation
Published 10:00 am on May 1, 2025
Travel back in time with us as we remember some of the momentous moments of Bemidji State history from the month of May.
May 2, 1975: The retiring Dr. Harold Peters was honored with a reception at the aquatics laboratory named after him. The H.T. Peters Aquatics Laboratory on campus held the event to honor a man who had been hired to teach one quarter and stayed for over 29 years. At BSC, Peters was the chairman of the Division of Science and Mathematics from 1948-69, and he taught biology, entomology, genetics, microbiology and ornithology.
May 4, 1986: Legendary musician Johnny Cash performed at the John Glas Fieldhouse. The price of admission was $14 for reserved seats and $12 for general admission.
May 10, 1946: Bemidji State Teachers College hosted its first formal dance since the beginning of World War II. The spring formal was attended by students, faculty and guests of BSTC. Although the weather suggested winter activities with icy winds blowing and snowflakes falling on light spring formals, memories of the outside were soon erased as the guests walked into the gym, beautifully decorated in a spring motif with two large maypoles, one at either end of the gym, and miniature maypoles on each table surrounding the gym. With Wen Shuh providing the music for dancing, guests danced in this "sidewalk cafe" from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. The party was well attended, with the majority of the students being present together with alumni, faculty and guests, all of whom stated their sincere appreciation for the extremely enjoyable affair.
May 25, 1989: Joel Otto became Bemidji State's first-ever Stanley Cup champion when the Calgary Flames defeated Montreal 4-2, winning the series 4-2. For the series, Otto scored two goals and tallied a team-best six assists. His eight points ranked second on the squad.
May 26, 1968: Bemidji State students presented "The Key to B.S.C." to President Robert Decker. The wooden key had a gold plaque with the inscribed message of "May it open the door to many happy years of success." Below that, the plaque read "By the B.S.C. Inter-Dormitory Council."
May 30, 1930: The Northern Student, which had been operating since November 20, 1929, ran its first-ever photograph. It featured students Ellen Brooks and Marguerite Ogren. The Northern Student started as a weekly newspaper in 1929 and continued publishing as a newspaper into the 21st century. Changes in technology led The Northern Student to reconsider how it published, and in 2011, it became a monthly color magazine with a website.
