Loretta McLaughlin
Loretta McLaughlin (1928 – November 23, 2018) was an American journalist, author and newspaper editor. As a journalist at the Boston Record American, McLaughlin, along with Jean (née Cole) Harris, covered the Boston Strangler murders in 1962. She was the first journalist to connect the murders and break the story about the serial killer. In 1992, she was appointed as Editorial Page Editor for the Boston Globe, only the second woman to serve in this role. Early life and education Born Loretta McDermott in 1928 in Woburn, Massachusetts to Anna (née Ring) McDermott, a homemaker, and John McDermott, who worked for a Quincy, Massachusetts shipyard. Her siblings included: John, Sylvester ("DeeDee"), and Margaret McLaughlin's family moved to South Boston when she was a child, and she graduated from South Boston High School. McLaughlin attended Boston University on an academic scholarship, where she studied journalism. She graduated with a B.A. in 1949. Career McLaughlin worked as a journalist for the Boston Record American during the 1950s. During that time, she and Jean (née Cole) Harris (1926–2015) investigated and publicized the 1962 Boston Strangler assaults and murders. McLaughlin later went on to work as a science writer for Harvard University, and as