After forty-three years, Brian Hallenbeck is retiring from The Day of New London.
Tomorrow(New Year’s Eve) is his last day. During his time with the paper he has covered everything from town news, to sports, gaming, business….and well…just about everything.
After graduating from Northwestern University in 1979, he got a job with the Norwich Bulletin, before moving part-time to The Day, eventually transitioning to full-time.
Managing Editor Joe Wojtas published a laudatory column(subscription required) marking Hallenbeck’s departure:
Whatever you threw at him, you knew he’d quickly turn it into a story before deadline. He was able to translate complicated issues such as the refinancing of the Mashantucket Pequot debt and labor issues into easy-to-understand stories that told readers why this was important to them.
And I always looked forward to reading his copy, knowing it would be flawless. That’s because he had already double- and triple-checked every detail and spelling. I’d often see him walk over to the newsroom printer, pen in hand, to grab a copy of his story before he filed it with the editors. He didn’t trust spell check. He was going to mark up his copy and make sure it was perfect.
It’s made my job so much easier. And it’s an example I point out to our young reporters.
– 30 –
