An executive secretary who had resigned to raise her children, Laurin began working as an editor for Clifton Tuttle, a physicist with Eastman Kodak. Tuttle had started Optical Publishing Co. in 1954 and published a directory of optical companies. In 1964, Laurin and her late husband, Francis Laurin, bought the company and she launched the trade magazine, Optical Spectra, in 1967. Optical Spectra was renamed Photonics Spectra in 1982, and the firm was renamed Laurin Publishing in 1986.
Laurin Publishing publishes business-to-business magazines, directories, and websites under the brand Photonics Media. Laurin's son, Thomas, is the company president.
In 2000 Laurin was honored as one of 15 Western Massachusetts "Women of Influence." She served on the boards of The Optical Society (OSA), the Engineering Council of the OSA, and the American Business Press Publisher Committee. In Pittsfield, Laurin served as the original president of the Colonial Theatre Association, lending her support to the restoration of the historic theatre with time and money.
Laurin was married for 58 years to her husband, who died in 2009. She was also predeceased by a daughter. In addition to her brother and sister-in-law, Laurin leaves three children, eight grandchildren, a daughter-in-law, and two sons-in-law.
Source: The Berkshire Eagle
