The Reading Center’s 75 Years of Literacy for All
Meet our founders
Who was Paula Rome?
May 20, 1918 - Dec. 14, 2008
In March of 1937 Paula Dozier Rome moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to live with her uncle, Dr. Paul Dozier, to work and attend school. Paula worked in her uncle’s office, in the Neuropsychiatry Department at the Pennsylvania Hospital and observed him training four teachers to work with students in order to master written language skills. He taught them to use the approach he had learned from his colleagues Samuel and June Orton. After two years of intensive training and teaching experience, Paula began to help with the training of other teachers.
In 1941 when the United States entered World War II many went off to war. Paula, by then on the staff of her uncle’s Clinic, found herself the only person left who was able to teach the students. Dr. Orton referred students to Paula, so she had occasions to confer with him about their progress and problems. Paula and her husband Howard moved to Rochester, Minnesota in 1947 when Howard accepted a position in psychiatry at the Mayo Clinic. A year after they arrived, Dr. Benjamin Spock, who worked with Dr. Andrew Aldrich, head of the Child Study program at Mayo and who knew Orton and of Paula’s experience, asked if she would help by occasionally testing children. Soon after her arrival in Rochester, Paula found herself being asked to tutor. She advertised at the two-year community college in town to find individuals who would be willing to learn a specialized instructional method and work as tutors for students.
The Reading Center evolved as an official business in 1951. As demands for her expertise grew Paula found others to train and to help her. Paula recruited Jean Osman to join her in 1956. The Reading Center officially became a partnership with both Paula and Jean at its head in 1963. In the ‘60’s and ‘70’s Paula developed and supervised programs for the juvenile justice system and for a private hospital for “disturbed” adolescents. Then in the ‘80’s she was an initiator of programs for dyslexics at the Federal Medical Center in Rochester. In 1989 it became a nonprofit agency with the title of Dyslexia Institute of Minnesota and at the end of 1991 moved to its own quarters. Paula retired in 1991 but remained active in the operations as a member of its Board of Directors. In 1995 The Reading Center was accepted as an agency of the Olmsted County United Way, an excellent opportunity to receive funds to help with the Center’s extensive scholarship program. Paula also served as founder and two-term president of the Upper Midwest Branch of the International Dyslexia Association as well as being on the Board of IDA and their Advisory Board. She was a lifetime member on the Board of the Dyslexia Institute of Minnesota. Paula Rome passed away at the age of 90 in 2008, but her effect is felt each day by the hundreds of students, families and trainees who are served and helped at The Reading Center each day of each year.
Who was Jean Osman?
July 3, 1929 – May 17, 2020
Jean Osman began her career as a pre-school teacher in Rochester, Minnesota and was a Head Teacher at the Aldrich Nursery school for many years. She was eventually recruited from the Aldrich Nursery and trained by Paula Rome in 1956 to help her teach struggling readers using the Orton-Gillingham approach, a teaching approach developed by neuropsychiatrist Dr. Samuel Orton and psychologist Anna Gillingham. By 1966 she became Paula’s partner and co-director of The Reading Center. In 1990, Jean Osman became Executive Director of The Reading Center when Paula Rome retired, where she remained until 2005. During Jean’s retirement, she was a prolific tutor, with as many as 14 students at one time. She was a trailblazer in providing Orton-Gillingham tutoring online because she saw it as a critical way to reach students who did not live near an Orton-Gillingham tutor. Jean served on The Reading Center’s Board of Directors as Director Emeritus from 2005 – 2020 and assisted with The Reading Center’s Orton-Gillingham training well after her retirement, serving as a program consultant to The Reading Center for several years to nurture future generations of Orton-Gillingham tutors.
Jean was a trailblazer for regional and national organizations that work for students with dyslexia. She was a force behind the creation of the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators from its conception in 1991, to its inception in 1995. Jean was a Founding Fellow of the Academy, and she served on its Board of Directors from 1995 to 2013. Jean Osman also co-founded the Upper Midwest Branch of the International Dyslexia Association with Paula Rome and served as its president. Jean Osman served as the Vice-President of the IDA (national) and served on its Board of Directors from 1980 – 1986. She was awarded the Margaret Byrd Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award of the IDA in 2002.
Jean Osman was influential in educating struggling students both near and far. Jean taught Orton-Gillingham at Winona State University, tested and taught students at Carleton College and tutored at the Federal Medical Facility in Rochester, Minnesota. Jean Osman was a national presenter on dyslexia, conducted trainings internationally, led simulations, and developed The Reading Center’s Institute trainings and its Best of Basics Summer program. Jean passed away at the age of 90 in 2020, she is well remembered for her deep commitment to and the driving force behind The Reading Center’s motto: Toward Literacy for All. Her tireless dedication to this work is reflected in the success of The Reading Center as an organization that leads the way in instruction for people with dyslexia. Jean Osman’s legacy lives on in the many students whose lives she enriched and in the teachers who practice the skills she taught.
Photograph: 622 5th St. SW (n.d.)
Photo of the front of the Rome house. The Rome’s basement was used for testing and tutoring from approximately 1947 when they moved into the home to December 1991.
Photograph: Paul Dozier, Anna Gillingham, and Paula Rome (c.1950) Reprint
Photograph of Dr. Paul Dozier, Anna Gillingham, and Paula Rome in 1950, presumably on one of the many visits Paula made back to Pennsylvania to confer with her uncle and Dr. Orton.
Osman is Recruited
In 1956, Paula Rome recruited Jean Osman for training from the Aldrich Memorial Nursery School where Rome was the President of the Board and Osman was a head teacher. By 1966, she became Paula’s partner and co-director of The Reading Center. Both women are known throughout the United States and the world for their tutoring, training, and groundbreaking contributions to the Orton-Gillingham approach.
News Article: In Children Who Can’t Read - City Women Battle ‘Word Blindness’ (c.1966) Scan clipped from https://postbulletin.newspapers.com/
Article on how “Mrs. Howard Rome” (Paula) and “Mrs. Arthur Osman” (Jean) are spearheading the attack on ‘word blindness’ in Rochester.
News Article passage: Reading Center in City Has Remedial Training (c.1969) Barbara Cook, Family Fare Staff Writer
This passage comes from a series of five articles about dyslexia in the Post-Bulletin, it recounts Paula Rome’s beginning in the world of dyslexia and highlights Reading Center staff going to schools and training teachers with their workshop on Orton-Gillignham methods.
UMBIDA’s Formation
The Reading Center was integral to the formation of the Upper Midwest Branch of the (then) Orton Dyslexia Society, (now) International Dyslexia Association. The preliminary meeting to establish the Upper Midwest Branch was held at the IDA national meeting in October 1968. Reading Center Staff members Paula Rome, Jean Osman, Marcia Henry, Arlene Sonday, and Roberta Stroebe organized the first official organizational meeting which was held in April of 1969 in Rochester, MN and was attended by 130 people. Paula Rome herself was the President of the Upper Midwest Branch from its beginning until 1972, and Jean would go on to serve a term as their President as well.
News Article: City Reading Specialists To Head Language Society (c.1969) Scan clipped from https://postbulletin.newspapers.com/
This article notes that “Mrs. Howard Rome” (Paula) and “Mrs. Arthur Osman” (Jean) were elected top officers of the newly formed Upper Midwest Branch of the Orton Society (IDA).
News Article: Rochester Women Develop SLD Language Tool Kit (c. 1973) Joy Stilley, Associated Press Writer
Article spotlighting Paula Rome and Jean Osman authoring the Language Tool Kit and its publishing by the Educators Publishing Service, INC.
Language Took Kit (c.1972)
Advanced Language Tool Kit Teaching the Structure of the English Language (c.1999)
Early Beginnings
Paula Rome established the “Remedial Reading Center” as an official business in 1951. For many years, The Reading Center was headquartered out of the Rome family basement. Educational testing, to determine the nature of the reading difficulty, was done in a modest office near the furnace. A staff of tutors provided instruction in their homes, schools, or church rooms. Occasionally Paula Rome would still receive referrals and professional advice from Drs. Samuel T. and June Orton, as well as Anna Gillignham.
The business name “Remedial Reading Center” was used until 1976 when it was changed to the “Reading Center.”
Educational Profile of a Student (c.1948) Paula Rome, Evaluator Student name redacted for privacy
Hand drawn educational profile created by Rome to showcase the educational abilities of the student after the evaluation was performed. Educational profiles are used to show the child’s reading, spelling, handwriting, phonological processing, and other educational skills in reference to their age.
News Article: Determination Bring Nursery to Rochester (c. 1954) Reprint Miriam Alburn, Minneapolis Tribune Staff Writer
Article on establishing the Aldrich Memorial Nursery School, where Rome was the President of the board. This is the school from which Rome would later recruit her eventual partner, Osman.
Official Training Institute Begins
Originally one would become a Reading Center tutor by jumping in the deep-end into immediate hands-on work with supervision and guidance from Paula, Jean, or other more experienced tutors. But in 1966 The Reading Center held its first official Institute with structured and intensive training. Among this first group of trainees was Mary Lee Enfield who would go on to be the co-creator of Project Read. Many prominent names in the dyslexia world have gone through the training offered by The Reading Center. Training is still held year-round online with an intensive in-person course offered every summer.
Training Institute Class Roster (c.1966) Reprint Addresses redacted for privacy
This document lists the class roster for the first official training institute held by The Reading Center in 1966.
Board of Directors list of the Upper Midwest Branch of the Orton Society (c.1969) Reprint Addresses redacted for privacy
This document lists the fifteen members of the Board of Directors as follows: Mrs. Paula D. Rome, Mrs. Jean S. Osman, C. Wilson Anderson, Jr., Miss Marty Lee Enfield, Mrs. Marcia K. McCally (Henry), Mrs. Thomas Dansing, John Albee, Mrs. Darald Elliot, Mrs. Robert Goepfert, Mrs. C.H. Hodgson, Mrs. Henry Ley, Harvey McNair, Dr. Edward J. O’Connell, Mrs. William Saltzman, and Mrs. Ralph Sonday.
Newsletter: Upper Midwest Branch of The Orton Dyslexia Society (c.1989)
Insert in the April 1989 UMBODS newsletter recounting a brief history of the first 20 years of the branch’s existence. In this passage Paula Rome and Jean Osman, along with Reading Center staff are credited as the visionaries of the formation of the Upper Midwest Branch and a vital part of the Orton Dyslexia Society.
Language Tool Kit by Paula Rome and Jean Osman
Jean Osman and Paula Rome have the proud distinction of authoring groundbreaking books about applying the Orton-Gillingham approach to teach dyslexic people to read. They published their first work, The Language Tool Kit, in 1972, and then multiple revised versions. Next, they published the Spanish version, Manual De Enseñanza Del Lenguaje, in 1992. And finally, they published the Advanced Language Tool Kit Teaching the Structure of the English Language in 1999 and then revised it to fix errors in 2000. These “Language Tool Kits” remain the go-to books for how to teach people with reading and spelling difficulties.
Manual De Enseñanza Del Lenguaje (c.1992)
World Congress on Dyslexia
The World Congress on Dyslexia in 1974 was brought to Rochester, Minnesota by the Mayo Clinic and the (then) Orton Dyslexia Society (now) International Dyslexia Association. Paula Rome served as the “Arrangements Chairman,” fielding phone calls and questions about the Congress, which had drawn in over a thousand doctors, psychologists, speech language pathologists, educators, and parents.
News Article: Localite Helps Bring World Parley Inland (c. 1974) Pauline Walle, Family Fare Editor
This article showcases the role Rome played as the “Arrangements Chairman,” and how she was one of the chief reasons the meeting went inland for the first time in 25 years.
“Lost in found” Letter by a Prisoner to His “Schoolmistresses” (n.d.) Reprint Prisoner name redacted for privacy
In this letter to his tutors, the prisoner thanks them for giving him “the other 4 billion cells in my brain. Not being able to read is like not being able to think.” In the letter he notes the many struggles he faced due to being unable to read or write.
Photograph: Paula Rome, June Orton, Mary Helen Robinson (c.1974) Reprint
Paula Rome, June Orton, Mary Helen Robinson at the World Congress on Dyslexia 20th anniversary Orton Dyslexia Society banquet dinner.
Booklet: Book Exhibit Prepared for World Congress on Dyslexia (c.1974)
Booklet containing multiple publishers and the books they have for sale. The item of notable interest in the booklet is the Language Tool Kit under the Educators Publishing Service, Inc. for sale at that time for $12.00.
Reaching “Delinquents”
From 1985 until the early 90’s, The Reading Center tested and tutored prisoners in the Federal Medical Corrections Facility in Rochester. For decades, no one had taken the trouble to determine why “reading failure” and delinquent behavior had been so closely associated. Reading Center evaluators found that many prisoners were either illiterate or dyslexic but had no prior assistance. Unfortunately, due to the constant movement of the prison system, along with other factors, the program was relatively short lived.
Still frame: Federal Medical Center Sign (c.1984)
Still taken from KTTC Rewind 1984 - Nov. 19, 2025: Federal Medical Center for Inmates Part 3. https://www.kttc.com/2026/07/22/kttc-rewind-1984/
Non-Profit Status: Achieved
In 1988, Paula Rome, Jean Osman, Sharon Rome, and several other staff members began structuring the Center into a not‑for‑profit organization. In 1991, it assumed the official title of Dyslexia Institute of Minnesota and became a 501(C)(3) business. The Institute's official mission statement became "Toward literacy For All.” The community‑familiar title of The Reading Center was kept as a business alias.
Dyslexia Institute of Minnesota first Board meeting - minutes (c.1988) Reprint
Minutes of the first organizational meeting of the Board of Directors of the Dyslexia Institute of Minnesota which was held on Wednesday, May 4th, 1988.
Letterhead: Dyslexia Institute of Minnesota (c.1991)
Letterhead page with the official title of The Reading Center’s legal name that it assumed when becoming a not‑for‑profit organization, as well as its first logo and its mission statement at the foot of the page.
Newsletter Flyer: Put yourself in the shoes of a dyslexic – a simulation (c.1993) Reprint
Flyer insert in a Reading Center newsletter inviting parents and their children’s teachers to come to the Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester for a hands-on workshop that simulates what it is like to be an individual with dyslexia.
Simulation
In March of 1993, The Reading Center held its first simulation: “Put yourself in the shoes of a dyslexic – a simulation.” It was so popular, they held it again just a month later. This simulation, now aptly named “Dyslexia Simulation,” is still held every October in honor of Dyslexia Awareness Month.
Newsletter Flyer: Put yourself in the shoes of a dyslexic – a simulation (c.1993) Reprint
Flyer insert in a Reading Center newsletter inviting parents and their children’s teachers to come to their new location in Rochester for another hands-on workshop that simulates what it is like to be an individual with dyslexia.
Summer Program Gets Its Start
The first Best of Basics summer program was held in July of 1994. Due to overwhelming response, The Reading Center decided to host the Best of Basics program annually, which has continued every year since.
Larry Peterson Bob the Dog, (n.d.)
Bob the dog was created by Larry Peterson to be the Best of Basics mascot.
TRC Newsletter - August 1994 (c. 1994) Reprint
Newsletter mailed out by The Reading Center to parents shows images of some of the first Best of Basics students, gives a small report of what students said during the summer course, and what changes they wanted to make for the next year’s summer program.
Photograph: Founding Fellows standing in front of the first Academy Office in Amenia, NY (c.1995)
Top row: Amy Bailin, Kay Howell, Barbara Wilson, Angie Wilkins
Middle Row: John Howell, Alice Koontz, Lucia Karnes, Jean Foss, Marcia Mann
Bottom Row: Phyllis Meisel, Helaine Schupack, Diana King, Dorothy Whitehead, Sharon O’C. Rome
Not pictured: Roger Saunders, Arlene Sonday
*Image from the Orton-Gillignham Academy website
Helping Establish Orton-Gillignham Academy
There are many institutions that have been touched by The Reading Center or its staff throughout the years, one of them being the notable and important institution Orton-Gillignham Academy. The OGA was established in 1995 after discussions in the Orton Dyslexia Society (IDA), whose Board of Directors has had many Reading Center staff members. Among the Founding Fellows of the OGA was Sharon O’C. Rome, Paula Rome’s daughter-in law, a matriarch of The Reading Center.
“The Reading Center was in the room, at the table, from the very beginning.” - Sharon O’C. Rome on the creation of OGA
Logo: Orton-Gillingham Academy
Current official logo of the Orton-Gillingham Academy.
Proclamations on Dyslexia
On July 30th, 2001, Rochester city mayor Charles J. Canfield made a proclamation that, due to the consistent and diligent work of Reading Center staff and tutors, July 30th, 2001, would be “A day to pay tribute to all who have participated in the great work of The Reading Center.” This was done during The Reading Center’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
On October 20th, 2009, Rochester city mayor Ardell F. Brede proclaimed October of 2009 as Dyslexia Awareness Month. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty made the same proclamation. In 2018, Minnesota Governor Mark B. Dayton also proclaimed October of 2018 as Dyslexia Awareness Month. Every year in October, The Reading Center holds many events to honor Dyslexia Awareness Month.
City of Rochester Proclamation (c.2001)
Rochester city mayor Charles J. Canfield officially proclaimed July 30th, 2001, as “A day to pay tribute to all who have participated in the great work of The Reading Center.”
City of Rochester Proclamation (c.2009)
Rochester city mayor Ardell F. Brede proclaimed October of 2009 as Dyslexia Awareness Month.
State of Minnesota Proclamation (c.2018) Reprint
Minnesota Governor Mark B. Dayton proclaimed October of 2018 as Dyslexia Awareness Month.
TRC’s 60th Anniversary
When The Reading Center turned 60 in 2011, it held its first annual (then) Bright Stars (now) Shining Stars event. The event is held to honor and support the mission of The Reading Center, and since 2020 included annual inductions into the “Hall of Fame.” Inductees are either dyslexic people who have overcome their challenges and found great success in life, or those who have dedicated their life and work to helping those who have dyslexia.
Event Booklet: Celebrating 60 Years 1951-2011 (c.2011)
This booklet was given out at the 60th anniversary event hosted by The Reading Center at the Rochester International Event Center. It details the events of the evening and thanks the sponsors of the event.
Photograph: Joe Powers, Brooks and Terri Edwards (c.2020)
Capital Campaign Co-Chairs Joe Powers, Brooks and Terri Edwards pose for a photo in The Reading Center’s brand new Reading Readiness room.
Photograph: Jean Osman and Ilaya Rome Hopkins at the Grand opening Ribbon Cutting (c.2020)
Jean Osman and Ilaya Rome Hopkins pictured cutting the ceremonial ribbon at the Grand Opening of the 2010 Scott Rd NW location surrounded by alumnus, past staff, and donors who gathered for the monumental occasion.
Branching Out
Due to the ever-growing need of tutoring for dyslexic students in the Twin Cities, in June of 2023, The Reading Center opened a satellite office in Woodbury, Minnesota to serve students in-person in the Twin Cities by offering testing and tutoring services.
Photograph: Woodbury Location Grand Opening (c.2023)
Arlene Sonday and Marcia Henry greet each other during the Grand Opening of the Woodbury location.
Partnership Outcome Data (c.2024)
Data from our partnership outcomes from the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years.
Photograph: Partnership group tutoring lesson (c.2025)
Tutor Ali Nelson delivering group tutoring lesson at a Twin Cities partnership school.
News Article: Reading Center turns 60 years old (c.2011)
This article goes over a simple overview of the beginning of The Reading Center and the events being held to celebrate the 60th anniversary.
Photograph: Jean Osman with Greg Nesler at The Reading Center’s 60th anniversary celebration (c.2011)
Jean Osman and her former pupil Greg Nesler pose for a photo at The Reading Center’s 60th anniversary celebration.
Growing Pains are Relieved
In 2015 under the visionary leadership of the Board of Directors, The Reading Center embarked on building our reach and capacity to serve more dyslexic students, and to build a facility that can accommodate its programs. A Capital Campaign was launched, co-chaired by Terri and Brooks Edwards and Joe Powers. In 2018, the state of MN granted The Reading Center state bonding funds, matched by individual donors, corporations and foundations, to help build the new facility. In December 2019, The Reading Center held the Grand Opening for the new building and thanks to their many donors, moved in debt free. The Harper Family Foundation provided the final, major grant of $1,000,000 enabling this achievement.
Capital Campaign Co-Chairs: Brooks and Terri Edwards, MDs, and Joe Powers, Powers Ventures
Photograph: Harper Family Building sign (c.2019)
Photograph of the name of the Harper Family Building sign. The building was named after the Harper Family Foundation in thanks for their funding of the project.
Photograph: Woodbury Location Soft Opening (c.2023)
Cindy Russell, Fay Van Vliet, Jamie Schwaba, and Elena Walden posing with The Reading Center door sign during the soft opening of the Woodbury office.
Reaching the Under-served
Starting in early 2022, The Reading Center began a partnership with Urban Ventures to serve at-risk and dyslexic students of color in urban Minneapolis. After the initial success of reaching children who were at risk, The Reading Center has continuously expanded its partnership program. As of 2026, this program provides free tutoring to at-risk children in 9 different schools between Rochester, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Red Wing, Minnesota.
Photograph: Partnership group tutoring lesson (c.2023)
Tutor Evalina Day delivering group tutoring lesson at a Rochester partnership school.
TRC’s 75th Anniversary
In 2026 The Reading Center is turning 75 years old. To honor this milestone The Reading Center is holding many celebratory events and held, met, and surpassed new goals for the annual Bright Futures fundraiser thanks to our donors.
75th Anniversary Committee Chairs: Ilaya Rome Hopkins and Amy Davis
Photograph: Ilaya Rome Hopkins and Amy Davis (c.2026)
Pictured are Ilaya Rome Hopkins, granddaughter of co-founder Paula Rome, and Amy Davis, parent of a Reading Center alumnus and co-chairs of our 75th Anniversary Celebration Committee. Together, they represent the generations of families whose lives have been transformed by The Reading Center as we celebrate our legacy and turn the page to the next 75 years.
Logo: The Reading Center’s 75th anniversary logo (c.2026)
Programs of events that The Reading Center has hosted throughout recent history.
Regular and anniversary logos that The Reading Center has used throughout the years, in order from earliest to most recent.
Information in The Reading Center’s 75th anniversary historical exhibit was gathered, researched, and written by Historian Karli Guyer, and edited by Jemma Anderbeck and Sarah Miller.