We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Lynne Thrope and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Lynne, what principle do you value most?
When I was a very little girl growing up on Cape Cod, I would often see President Kennedy disembark from his sailboat onto the Hyannis Port pier looking bronzed and windblown from a day riding high on the waves of Nantucket Sound. A troop of us “beachnick” girls (as we referred to ourselves) would run up to greet him home because we could and because he appeared delighted by the positive feedback our presence brought. “Were you nice to somebody today?” he would query. “Were you kind to your mother today?” “Did you help a friend in her time of need?” So his questions about becoming a principled person would await us; we in turn would have the answers, in-between our incessant giggles. On one of these happy homecomings, our 35th President noticed my silence in response to one of his questions. Without hesitation, he kneeled to have his face face mine. “If you treat people the way you want to be treated, you’ll be ok.” I can hear his words today as clearly as they were uttered on that most memorable day. I have tried my best to live by them since. His plain, but powerful words I have valued in my professional as well as in my personal life. They are the simple principle by which I live.

What should our readers know about your business?
Twenty-five years ago, The Reading Room opened its door with the promise to help any struggling reader be successful. Today, I can proudly share that the promise has been kept and will continue through the next twenty-five.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Before COVID, San Diego was a vibrant city of live theatre. So many actors who have performed on our local stages have gone on to play on those of Broadway and the West End of London! Any night of the week, including Mondays, San Diego would offer a musical or drama of the highest quality. Nothing was more exciting to me than sharing the audience with an out-of-town friend who knew of San Diego’s long and well-deserved reputation of producing remarkable live theatre. Meeting the actors and designers after a performance would be the cherry that capped off the unforgettable experience.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Since January 1995 I have worked in a private clinical setting at The Reading Room in La Mesa, CA where students of all ages have engaged my services to learn to read and write, to become better readers and writers, and to learn how to function in a literacy complex world. The parent of one of my students so wholeheartedly understood my mission of teaching every student to read and write that she decided to become a clinical reading therapist herself! Dr. Katherine Casey Spengler, Ph.D. who once I mentored is now my partner at The Reading Room teaching students, through my principles and values, the hard work of becoming a literate person. Her dedication in pursuit of a Ph.D. to do this noble work is the highest compliment I have received. It is recognition that the road less traveled has been worth it!

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