Remembering Irene Backalenick

Irene Backalenick — a nationally known journalist and theater critic, early feminist, longtime Westport volunteer and then, late in life, a poet and playwright — died peacefully at home on December 16. She was 102 years old.

Her son Paul provided this obituary.

Irene Louise Backalenick, née Margolis, was born in Providence, Rhode Island on August 12, 1921, the only child of Max Margolis and Lydia (Silverman) Margolis.

Throughout a remarkable life, she rose from poverty in the Depression era to wide-ranging success in the age of artificial intelligence. Yet there was nothing artificial about her intelligence. A woman of quiet clear opinions, she was, by any standard, brilliant. Often humble and self-deprecating, Irene was not one to laud her many accomplishments.

Irene Backalenick, at 85.

Despite graduating high school qualified only for secretarial work, she took a chance and applied to Brown University (then known as Pembroke College for Women). Because she performed so well on admissions tests, she was granted a provisional acceptance and a 1-year scholarship.

When she excelled academically that first year, the college extended her scholarship for all 4 years. She went on to complete an honors English program, graduate summa cum laude, and become a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

After graduation, she moved to New York City and worked as an editor and writer for various publishers and magazines. In 1947 she met and married William Backalenick, a budding commercial artist.

To continue his career, they moved to Boston and had 2 children, Paul and Lynn.

After several years they moved briefly back to New York, where William joined lifelong friend and partner, Dan Cassel in a new advertising agency, Comart Associates. In 1955 the family moved out to the semi-rural suburb of Westport. There she had 2 more children, Lisa and Kim.

She began writing for the local newspaper, the Westport Town Crier, initially covering the Circuit Court. She went on to write feature stories, often ground-breaking articles on suburban life, for the Bridgeport Post, Westport News, the Brooks newspaper chain, and the New York Times. She was awarded a Publisher’s Award from the Times for outstanding feature writing.

Irene Backalenick

An early feminist, and a quiet leader in the women’s movement, she organized “rap groups” for Westport housewives before most people even thought to proclaim women could be more than wives and mothers. Always a liberal, she was active in the League of Women Voters, and in support of the United Nations.

While raising 4 children, she found time to return to college. Irene received a master’s degree in education from the University of Bridgeport.

In her 60s, she earned a Ph.D. in theater history from the City College of New York. After finishing that program, she became a full-time theater critic writing reviews for Connecticut papers, Theater Week and Backstage Magazine, among others.

She interviewed dozens of well-known theater personalities, including actors, directors and playwrights. In 1990, she was a founder of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She was also a member of the Outer Critics Circle.

After a distinguished 30-year career as a critic, she retired in the early 2000s. She began to pursue her own creative inclinations, including becoming a published poet and playwright.

Throughout her life, her insatiable curiosity and intelligence prompted her to continue learning. She enrolled one summer at Oxford University to study theater. She studied Spanish and traveled often to Mexico. She was fascinated by the art and culture of the Oaxacan people.

The world’s many cultures and peoples fascinated her. Enabled by her generous husband, she traveled to England, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Israel, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, the Caribbean, Egypt, and France, among others.

Irene was predeceased by Bill, her husband of 67 years in 2015, and her daughter Lynn, in 2016. She is survived by her son Paul (Karen Loew), Lisa (Robert Kwasha), and Kim (David Escobar), and grandchildren Ethan, Kai and Alex.

A service is planned for Irene at the Watermark, 3030 Park Avenue, in Bridgeport CT, at 2:30pm, on Saturday, January 27, 2024.

If you wish to make a memorial donation in Irene’s name, two causes she supported were the Bridgeport Rescue Mission and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

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Two years ago — when Irene Backalenick turned 100 — “06880” offered this salute:

Like anyone who reaches the century mark, she’s had a varied, interesting life. A Providence native who worked as a secretary after high school, then 5 years later was accepted without any college prep at Brown University, and graduated summa cum laude, she has never stopped engaging with words, or the world.

After moving from her home of decades in Greens Farms to the Watermark at 3030 Park in Bridgeport, Irene jumped into her new community. She and another former journalist started a writers’ workshop. That led to her poetry — and publication in a number of outlets.

At 100, Irene is in strong physical and mental health. She decided, because of COVID, to forgo a big party.

Her son Paul — also a writer — and his wife Karen will be there, though. He’ll show her a copy of his latest project: a collection of her theater reviews, in a self-published book.

In 1956, when this photo was taken, Irene Backalenick (lower right) — shown with her sister-in-law Theda Frank (left) and niece Wendy — was 35 years old.

Recently, the Watermark asked Irene to interview new residents for their in-house publication. Among them: a group of nuns.

Years ago, Irene interviewed a woman from that order. That nun has died, but Irene remembers her fondly.

Those are the kinds of things that a 100-year-old woman experiences.

Happy birthday, Irene. Here’s to many more years of health, happiness — and poetry.