A Columbus pediatrician, author and community leader has earned another hat to wear: Bartholomew County historian.
The three-year appointment of Dr. Tamara Stone Iorio as county historian has been confirmed by the Indiana Historical Society and Indiana Historical Bureau.
Both organizations consider nominations received from local historical organizations in each county. Bartholomew County Historical Society board president Jason Hatton nominated Iorio over the summer.
“It was obvious Tami was the choice, based on her knowledge and passion for local history,” Hatton said. “Her ability to recall information, as well as understand the events of the past, is incredible.”
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Iorio fills a void left from the September 2017 death of Harry McCawley, the retired associate editor of The Republic who had served as county historian for 25 years.
While she said following in McCawley’s footsteps feels a bit intimidating, Iorio is hopeful her new position will spur interest and passion for local history in others.
In an article published in August 2013, McCawley described Iorio in one of his columns as a true believer who “not only knows history, but lives and loves it.”
Involved with the county historical society since 2005, Iorio spent six years on its executive committee, including two years as board president, Hatton said.
As an author, Iorio has published three books involving local history:
“Columbus Indiana In Vintage Postcards,” 2005
“Columbus (Then and Now),” 2010
“Legendary Locals of Columbus,” 2013
According to the Indiana Historical Society, county historians function in a number of capacities that include:
a coordinator of historical information sources.
a resource person for historical inquiries from within and outside the county.
An emissary of the Indiana Historical Society and the Indiana Historical Bureau, promoting cooperation between local historical organizations while reducing duplication of efforts
An educator able to travel within the county and capable of serving the needs of constituents
When asked whether he thought an established physician such as Iorio will have time to serve as county historian, Hatton laughed.
“What amazes me about Tami is that, while she is extremely busy, she’s also one of those people who still gets it all done,” Hatton said.
Iorio said she has been accepting invitations to give history presentations to school and civic groups for several years.
Since people tend to interpret historical events in different ways, Iorio said a county historian should always strive to separate fact from opinion.
“If someone is asking me to interpret history, and to be subjective, rather than objective, I want to make sure I label it as such,” Iorio said.
The County Historian Program was established in 1981 in an effort to improve the historical communication network across the state, according to the state historical society.
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Age: 46
Occupation: Pediatrician
Education: Columbus North High School, 1990; Vanderbilt University Bachelor or Arts in English, 1994; Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, M.D., 1998
Community activities: Columbus Regional Health Foundation executive board, 2017-present; Columbus North High School 150th Anniversary History Committee, 2018; Bartholomew County Historical Society volunteer grant writer, 2016-present; Bartholomew County Historical Society executive board, 2010-2016 (treasurer, 2012-2013; president, 2013-2016); Columbus Youth Soccer Association board, 2009-present; School volunteer (classroom, athletics, extracurriculars), 2006-present.
Family: Husband Chris Iorio, physician at Columbus Internal Medicine; children, Julia 17; Colvin 15; Lukas 13 and Leo 11.
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"Her ability to recall information, as well as understand the events of the past, is incredible."
— Jason Hatton, Bartholomew County Historical Society, on Tamara Iorio
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