Thelma Louise Van Norte ( Augostat; January 12, 1912 – August 9, 1985) was an American medical records librarian. She received the National Public Personnel Award in 1966, from the President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped, for her work in training blind medical transcriptionists.

Early life and education

Thelma Louise Augostat was born in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, the daughter of Otto Augostat and Maud Wilson Augostat. Her father was a plumber. She graduated from

Arsenal Technical High School Arsenal Technical High School, commonly referred to as Tech or Arsenal Tech, is a public high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, which is run by the Indianapolis Public Schools district. The school is located on a , multiple buildin ...

in 1927, at age 15. She earned a bachelor's degree from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

and a master's degree from Georgia Women's College. She trained as a medical records librarian at

Emory University Hospital Emory University Hospital is an 853-bed hospital in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, specializing in the care of acutely ill adults. Emory University Hospital is staffed exclusively by Emory University School of Medicine faculty who also ...

, and held an

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree from the Woodrow Wilson College of Law."Public Personnel Award"
''Performance: The Story of the Handicapped'' 17(5)(December 1966): 5.

Career

Thelma Augostat played violin in a trio as a young woman. She became medical records librarian at a hospital in

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...

in 1959. There, Van Norte established a training program for blind medical transcriptionists. She was also a consultant to

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

, and spent time in

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...

, teaching and establishing a medical records library at a hospital for

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

patients. In the 1970s, she worked on contacting families of deceased Central State Hospital patients. "We just hunt, hunt, hunt until we get a clue," she explained in a 1973 newspaper article. HaroldRussellThelmaVanNorte1966

Van Norte received the 1966 Georgia State Public Personnel Award, and the National Public Personnel Award from the President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped. The national award was presented to her by actor

Harold Russell Harold John Avery Russell (January 14, 1914 – January 29, 2002) was an American World War II veteran and actor. After losing his hands during his military service, Russell was cast in the epic drama film ''The Best Years of Our Lives'' (1946 ...

at a banquet in Milwaukee.

Personal life

Thelma Augostat married physician William M. Schindledecker in 1932; they had two sons, Samuel and Robert, and divorced in 1946. She married again, to Lloyd F. Van Norte, before 1950. He was postmaster of

Edisto Island, South Carolina Edisto Island is one of South Carolina's Sea Islands, the larger part of which lies in Charleston County, South Carolina, Charleston County, with its southern tip in Colleton County, South Carolina, Colleton County. Edisto Beach is in Colleton C ...

. She died in 1985, at the age of 73, at a hospital in

Sandersville, Georgia The city of Sandersville is the county seat of Washington County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,813 in 2020. It is also a part of the Central Savannah River Area. Sandersville is known as the "Kaolin Capital of the World" due to ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Norte, Thelma 1912 births 1985 deaths People from Indianapolis Indiana University alumni Georgia College & State University alumni Medical librarians 20th-century American librarians 20th-century American women librarians