Medio J. Bacco

Born in Italy in 1889, Medio J. Bacco came to this country when he was just two years old, his family settling in Iron Mountain.  Bacco attended school in Iron Mountain but left high school early in his senior year – at the age of 16 years old – to accept a position as a time-keeper from the Oliver Iron Mining, Co. in Hibbing, Minnesota.  He returned to Iron Mountain to work as an assistant to Gilbert V. Carpenter, then Dickinson County highway engineer.  In this role, Medio gained considerable experience in construction work, particularly road building.  In 1916, Medio organized his first construction company, before 1930 when he organized the Bacco Construction Company with three associates – his brother John Bacco, Carl Israelson and Arthur Fortier. 

 In his personal life, Medio married his wife Violet McLeod in 1921 and went on to have four children, two of whom survived to adults – Catherine Bacco Connell and Betty Bacco Wakefield.  Catherine and Betty both attended Iron Mountain High School.

By 1945, Medio had decided to divest himself of his companies and turn his focus to the community. One of his many focuses was serving as a member of the Iron Mountain Board of Education for six years.  In the 1948-1949 school year, Medio established a scholarship at Iron Mountain High School, which annually granted four years of advanced engineering study to a worthy high school graduate.  The original qualification for the scholarship were based on academic progress, character, ambition and personal need.  The first scholarship amount awarded was in the amount of $1,000. 

Since its inception, more than $1.6 million has been awarded to IHMS students from the Bacco Scholarship. 

 IMHS, the Bacco Family and the 75th Anniversary Committee look forward to honoring past recipients and celebrating the wonderful success of the Medio J. Bacco Scholarship.