For Irene – by Marlene S. Gaylinn
Irene Backalenick — a nationally known journalist, theater critic, and a founding member of the Connecticut Critics Circle, passed away at home on December 16, 2023. She was 102 years old. Longtime friend and colleague Marlene Gaylinn remembers Irene. I met Irene when I began writing theatre reviews for “The Darien News-Review.” My editor, Virginia Bates, knew Irene from the CT Press Club and informed me that we may have something in common. It was at the Press Club that we first met. Soon afterwards, Irene became one of the founders of The Connecticut Critics Circle and I became one… read more