Harry Bangsberg was born on April 7, 1928, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Bangsberg earned his Bachelor’s degree in History and English at Luther College in 1950. The following year, he attended the University of Iowa to achieve his Master’s Degree in History. He continued his studies at the University of Iowa in 1957 earning his Doctorates Degree. Bangsberg had several positions in the academic field. He first started out as an instructor for Social Studies at Western Illinois University in 1953-1955. In 1957 until 1959, Bangsberg was an Associate Professor in History at Wisconsin State University. He served as an Assistant Director at Wisconsin State University System of Madison in 1959-63. He was also an Executive Director and part of the Higher Education Coordinating Council at Metropolitan St. Louis from 1963-64. In 1965 Harry Bangsberg became President at Bemidji State. In 1967, he took a tour of Vietnam with seven other U.S. educators. The group was determined to assist the government of Vietnam in developing a higher education system. Bangsberg was on leave from Bemidji State for two months to Saigon. On March 23, 1967, a few weeks before their return home, the plane crashed in the mountains north of Da Nang. Bangsberg’s passing saddened the Bemidji State community deeply.

Bangsberg Hall was Built in 1971 the Bangsberg Fine Arts Complex holds faculty and department offices for Music. It is host to multiple music studios, classrooms, rehearsal rooms, and costume/scene shops. The historic building is also the home to a music technology lab.

The Bangsberg Fine Arts Complex is set to receive upgraded acoustics in practice labs and its band room renovated faculty and department offices and other student study and ensemble spaces, conversion of the Black Box Theater into a multipurpose space and upgrade technology infrastructure.

Housed within the Bangsberg Fine Arts Complex, the Carl O. Thompson Recital Hall, the main stage and black box theater provide Bemidji State and the surrounding community a vibrant calendar of musical and theatrical performances.