By BSU Alumni & Foundation
Published 7:00 am on September 1, 2025
Travel back in time with us as we remember some of the momentous moments of Bemidji State history from the month of September.
Sept. 2, 1919: The first regular school year session began at Bemidji Normal School. According to a school bulletin, the general requirements for admission to the Normal School were "good health, good character, and general fitness to become a teacher." To those who lived in Minnesota and pledged to teach two years within the state, tuition was free. (This practice remained in place until 1933, when it became mandatory to charge tuition.) To all others, tuition was charged at the rate of $10 per term of 12 weeks, payable in advance.
Sept. 5, 1973: While on a nine-day geology field trip in Dickinson, N.D., Bemidji State College senior Gordy Kuehne discovered a fossil skull identified as part of an Oreodon, a prehistoric ancestor of the camel. According the Northern Student, Oredons are about the size of a sheep and inhabited the North American continent during the Oligacene Epoch about 36 million years ago. At the time of his discovery, Kuehne was working toward a major in biological general science and a minor in earth science. Kuehne was a member of BSC's Geology Club, which met every first and third Tuesday in Sattgast Hall.
Sept. 7, 2014: Former Bemidji State football tight end Brian Leonhardt made his NFL debut with the Oakland Raiders, a 19-14 loss to the New York Jets in Week 1. Leonhardt caught one pass for 12 yards. He went on to play 16 games over two seasons in the NFL. He was just the second BSU graduate to reach the league and the first non-replacement player from the 1987 strike.
Sept. 22, 2008: Jacqui Gillis, a Bemidji State sophomore from Chicago, taped her episode of the trivia show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" and won $16,000 by correctly answering nine straight questions. Her episode alongside host Meredith Vieira aired on Jan. 8, 2009. Gillis auditioned for the show in Detroit during the summer of 2008 and, on move-in day at BSU, Gillis was talking with her new resident assistant when she received the call that she was selected to be on the show. Gillis walked away before attempting to answer the $25,000 question.
Sept. 25, 2021: The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the dance studio renamed in honor of the late Marion "Mrs. C" Christianson was held in front of dozens of alumni, family members and BSU faculty and staff at the Gillett Wellness Center. The renovated Marion Christianson Memorial Dance Studio honors the long-time teacher, athletic director and leader of many athletic and dance activities at Bemidji State including the Funtastic Dance Follies, an annual production that continues to this day.
Sept. 28, 2012: Bemidji State formally named Paul Bunyan an honorary alumnus of BSU at its annual Honors Gala in recognition of the lumberjack statue's 75th anniversary in Bemidji. Accepting the honor on his behalf were Bemidji Chamber board members Scott Turn and Arlene Billberg, and Bemidji City Council members Rita Albrecht, Ron Johnson and Kevin Waldhausen.
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