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This obituary tribute was submitted by Frank Roman, Virginia's son.
Virginia P. Roman, life-long member of ASHA, passed away suddenly on Sept. 20, 2009. She received a master's degree, at age 22, in speech-language pathology from the University of Kentucky and returned home and worked for a year in Johnstown at a rehabilitation center for children with cerebral palsy. She then married Steve Roman and took a 14-year hiatus to raise a family of four.
In re-entering the workforce, Virginia Roman accepted a position with Fairfax County Public Schools and worked at a number of elementary schools across the county. She set up the first speech and language program for all of the high schools and implemented that program at the then new Robinson High School. She also helped to create the Preschool Diagnostic Center in Falls Church, which provided early evaluation of developmental disabilities, one of her lifelong causes.
After 11 years with the public schools, Virginia opened a private practice and provided services to not only her own patients, but to students at the Catholic schools of the Arlington Diocese. Her practice thrived, and she eventually employed five other speech-language pathologists. She worked with patients of all ages, including those in kindergarten and nursing homes, and she treated disorders which ranged from cerebral palsy to aphasia to stuttering and articulation problems. Her hard work, skill, and perseverance were always measured with the right amount of compassion, and she earned the adoration of hundreds of patients over the years, many of whom returned with their own children decades later.
Virginia loved what she did. When she retired a few years ago in 2006, at age 77, a local newspaper profiled Virginia and quoted the mother of one patient as saying, "Whatever she does with them, she has a gift. She knows exactly how much pressure to put on them and how to keep it fun. Her way with children is so gentle and enthusiastic, and she is an inspiration to both children and adults." An adult patient, who had multiple sclerosis, said that a quotation from the noted humanitarian Albert Schweitzer best described Virginia's impact on her life: "At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."
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