New Britain herald., 1930-07-02
Woman Becomes City Editor of New York
 Newspaper

ever to hold down the city editors desk in a large metropolitan news paper
 Meet Laura Vitray. city editress of the New York Evening Graphic!
 She is not a feminist who feels | that all women are winning vic tory by having one of their sex elevated to a position of such au- thority. She isn't even high hat about having won the distinction for herself.
 What is the difference whether a woman or man has a job. just so it is done well?" is her attitude.
 A tall slender woman in hel early thi-ies, with dark bobpeA hair, rather gentle manner, pleasant voice and very feminine clothes, sle has a bit of the aloof student lock as she bends over her desk working, but quick under standing manner the minute you engage her attention, and as mer- ry a smile as ever warmed any of- flee give you indications of her genuinely comradely spirit
 Enjoys Her Work
 T don't know how I happened to be lucky enough to be made an editor' she said, with an easy little laugh. T only know l want ed to be badly enough and so tar am enjoying it tremendously"
 Sitting at her desk looking owe, the latest edition, with the huge city room filled with men-men re- porters grinding out stories, men artists finishing layouts, men cn the copy desk writing headlines, men consulting her on pictures, men phoning in about the latest murder or love scandal Mrs. Eit- ray seemed pleasantly impersonal and utterly unconscious of the novelty of being the first woman in her position.
 Do men take orders readily from a woman editor?" l asked her. "Or do they resent her au- thority?"
 "Orders?" she repeated. then hurriedly answered: T don't or der anybody. I don't have to. Everybody is so interested in his own work there is a marvellous feeling of cooperation. They all are doing everything to make it easy for me"
 Knows Her Copy Reading
 Mrs NitTay came to the Graphic last September from the staff of the Columbia School of Journal ism. Her Graphic job was also aa innovation. She vas put on the copy desk the only woman. so far as is known, to edit copy and write heads for large paper.
 T loved the copy desk" she told me, Tt is the closest thing 10 q gambling game l know. It requires the gambling spirit 10 take story that is handed 10 you and choose that part of it which is to be displayed in a head line that will attract the reader And, moreover, to write good heads, you must have a sense of rhythm that has an affinity to poetry = which I do not write" she added, smiling.
 Four months on the copy desk - then Mrs. Nitray was assigned to write special stories on a torch killers" trial, So forceful and original were her stories that she vas put on special assignments from then on and managed, among other exciting things, to scoop the city by getting the first interview with the artichoke king, Giro Ter ranova. She was writing by-line stories when elevated to her pres ent position.
 Her whole background is inter- esting. Born in Trenton, N. J., | daughter Of prominent physi- elan, she attended Bucknell Uni versity, did space writing on a 1 hometown paper, then regular re- porting, then got q job on Phi'a- ] position in a New York publishing ! house. From there to Paris, ! where she had spent part Of her childhood; and speaking and wrl.- ing French fluently, she free-lanced for few years there.
 Met Husband in Paris ! It was in Paris that she met her husband. a noted French actor. and it vas in Paris that her little boy, Alain, Was born six years ago, 1 Alain is now in Q private school iQ this city. Mrs. Vitray has an uptown apartment, likes 10 keep house but hates 10 cock She 8 Tot addicted to any strenuous form of recre ation, such as tennis, golf, swimming, riding. In fact, | she spends her leisure writing!
 To the question of whether or not she feels many women are fit ted to fill the editors chair whether women In general have that sixth sense Of what stories ! to play up on page one. what stor- ies and pictures should be played down. and so on, she shrugged her shoulders.
 How can you know when so few have ever tried ?" she said. Then as she rose 10 say goodbye, fer she had still another edition to get out, her sense of humor came into play.
 Suppose you come back and see me a little later. I'll probably have lot of opinions in a short time"