By Micah Friez
Published 8:00 am on August 21, 2026
Many talents, like a voice made to sing, are hereditary.
As it turned out for Helen Bartlett, so was attending Bemidji State University.
Bartlett is a third-generation Beaver, realizing a family tradition set in motion by her grandfather, Joe Vene, and carried on by his three daughters. Before BSU gave her the stage to sing, the vocal performance major came to love the opera because of the family maestro who introduced her to it.
“Growing up, Grandpa would always sing opera around me,” Bartlett said. “I’ve come to love that artform because it really is truly beautiful. I’m really happy he introduced me to it at such a young age.”
The arias that hooked Bartlett were the same melodies that Vene discovered at Bemidji State College. The 1974 alumnus came from a place where higher education felt far out of reach, but BSC’s warm embrace has made a generational difference on him and his family.
“I never thought the opportunity to go to college would be mine, but Bemidji State presented me with that chance,” he said. “Singing opened up a huge horizon that I had hoped for but never thought would result in so much growth.”
‘A conduit to the upcoming generations'
Vene’s origins weren’t in a performance hall, but rather underground on the Iron Range.
Like his father, Vene worked in the mines. His parents had immigrated from Austria-Hungary after hearing of the opportunity for a livelihood through mining. Vene followed suit and made good earnings, though he admitted he was “terribly afraid of being down in those closed quarters.”
He wasn’t quite a canary in a coal mine, but Bemidji State helped him sing like one.
Vene enrolled as an older-than-average college student in his early 30s, and he immediately discovered newfound possibilities. He studied music under Dr. Paul Brandvik, was the Madrigal Dinner king, and achieved new academic heights that were once just dreams.
The first-generation college student graduated summa cum laude with a teaching degree in music, and then he watched his three daughters enroll in Bemidji State themselves. Now Bartlett is the third generation accompanied by two family traditions: music and BSU.
“My parents thought they had gone to heaven when they immigrated to America and saw their son go to college of all things,” Vene said. “If it weren’t for Bemidji State, I never would have been able to earn a degree. I hoped that I could be a conduit to the upcoming generations, and I’m very proud of the fact that we have this family identification with BSU.”
Bemidji State’s offerings of technical training and experiential memories have long worked in harmony with one another. Bartlett has sung with Vene for most of her life, but fittingly, perhaps the most special opportunity was a performance on campus.
At the end of every Bemidji Choir tour concert, all alumni in attendance are invited up to sing “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” with the current ensemble. So, every year of Bartlett’s tenure, Vene has returned to the stage to share it with his granddaughter.
“It’s really, really special,” Bartlett said. “Bemidji State was definitely the right decision for me. Having that family background of alums, I knew that this would be a place for me to thrive.”
For Vene, the education and good fortune he received from Bemidji State would have been more than enough. But now, to also see that legacy grow throughout his family tree? That’s a feeling beyond words.
“Bemidji State is more than an affiliation to us,” Vene said. “It’s part of our history and our personalities. It’s part of our roots.”
This story was featured in the Summer 2026 edition of the BSU Alumni Magazine. To view the entire magazine, click here.
