Poughkeepsie Journal from Poughkeepsie, New York • Page 4B

4B OBITUARIES, SCIENCE MID HUDSON i I fa DEATH NOTICES Benedict, Aline, 87, of Pleasant Valley, died Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2003. Arrangements by Allen Funeral Home, (845) 635 2124. Dickson, Joy, 84, of Stanfordville, died Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2003.

Arrangements by Wen Wien Memorial Chapels, (201) 489 3817. DiGregorio, Mildred (Lawrence), 81, of Quincy, Mass, died Monday, Aug. 4, 2003. Arrangements under the direction of McDonald Funeral Home, (7803354045. Flege, Hilary Richard, 85, of FLshkUl, died Saturday, Aug.

2, 2003. Arrangements by Libby Funeral Home, (845) 831 0179. Kocot, Stanley Adrian, 59, of Davenport, Fla, died Saturday, Aug. 2, 2003. Arrangements by Michael Tbr sone Memorial Funeral Home (845)452 7700.

Panzella, Thelma, 93, of Marlboro, died lUesday, Aug. 5, 2003. Arrangements by DiDonato Funeral Service (845) 236 4300. Mildred (Lawrence) DiGregorio QUINCV; MASS. Mildred (Lawrence) DiGregorio, 81, formerly of Wappingers Falls and Frackville, Pa, died Monday, Aug.

4, 2003 at the John Scott House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Braintree, Mass. For many years, she worked as a seamstress and a homemaker. She was an active member with the Senior Citizens in the South Shore area of Massachusetts. Mrs. DiGregorio was born in Frackville, Pa.

and graduated from Immaculate Heart Academy, Class of 1939. She was married to Felix DiGregorio and in 1948 they moved to Wappingers Falls. In 1990, after her husband's passing, she moved to Quincy, Mass. Mrs. DiGregorio was the loving mother to William DiGregorio of Weymouth, Mass.

and devoted grandmother to Jennifer, DiGregorio of Braintree, Mass. Family request services to be private on Friday, Aug. 8, in St' Joseph's Church, Frackville, Pa. Interment will follow in SL Joseph's Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to John Scott House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, co Patient Activities Fund, 233 Middle St, Braintree, MA 02184.

Arrangements are entrusted to McDonald Funeral Home, 809 Main St, So. Weymouth, MA. Stanley Adrian Kocot Thelma Panzella WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2003 POUGHKEEPSIE JOURNAL Joy Dickson STANFORDVILLE, N.Y Joy Dickson, a resident of Stanfordville for the past 22 died peacefully on August 5, 2003 at her son's home in Maplecrest, N.Y She was 84. She co founded New York based Ray Bloch Productions in 1954 with her late husband Charles and conductor and musical director Ray Bloch of the Ed Sullivan and Jackie Gleason Shows. She retired as secretary treasurertreasurer of the organization in 1983.

In addition, she completed a "Clowns of America" course in 1993, and performed for several hospitals, senior citizens groups and other local organizations as "Tyrone Z. Tramp." An ardent environmentalist she was a "Patron of Conservation" for tHe National Wildlife Federation and supported the Nature Conservancy, the Audubon Society, and many other nature based organizations all her life. She also received a certificate of Horticultural Therapy for the Home bound sponsored by the Horticultural Society of New York. A graduate of the Juilliard School of Music as well as Parson's Art School in New York, Mrs. Dickson created art through paintings, weavings, lapidary, leaded glass' and assorted cast off and natural materials.

Mrs. Dickson was born in New York City in 1919, and most recently lived in Teaneck, J. and then in Manhattan before moving to Stanfordville in 1981. She is survived by her three children, Frankiyn of Maplecrest N.Y; Jonnie Sofer of Hawthorne, and Robin of Atlanta, Ga; her sister, Nadya Lach man of Westchester, N.Y; six grandchildren and two great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the National Wildlife Federation, the Humane Society and Hospice of ColumbiaGreene Counties, N.Y.

will be appreciated. Fbr more information call "Wien Wien Memorial Chapels" 800 322 0533. t. IN MEMORIAM DAVENPORT FLA. Stanley Adrian Kocot 59, a 2 12 year resident of Davenport Fla, formerly of Fairlawn.

NJ, died Saturday, Aug. 2, 2003 at Good Shepard Hospice In Auburn dale, Fla. Mr. Kocot was a technical analyst He was a United States Navy Veteran during the Cuban Missile Crisis in Vietnam and was on flight school crew from Key West that extracted astronauts, Conrad Cooper, from the ocean. Mr.

Kocot was a member of the Rocky West CB Club in New York; the coach of the 1978 and 1979 Haver straw Little League World Champion Team; a member of the Jaycees in New 'forkj and activities coordinator for the IBM Country Club. Bom Nov. 7, 1943 in Poughkeepsie; he was the son of Stanley M. and Madeline Nowik Kocot Survivors include two daughters, Kim Marie Kocot of Haines City, Maureen Pata of Coconut Creek, two sons, Robin Joseph Kocot of Nanuet N.Y; Stanley M. Kocot of Haines City, Fla; a sister, Audrey San Fillippo of California; eight grandchildren; and three great grandchildren.

Calling hours will be held 9 11 am, Thursday, at the Michael Torsone Memorial Funeral Home 218 Mill St, Poughkeepsie. Funeral services will be held 9:30 am, during the calling hours, with Father Zdzisoaw Nawrocki officiating from St Joseph's Church in Burial will follow at St Joseph's Cemetery. Hilary Richard Flege FISHKILL Hilary Richard Flege, 85, died Saturday, Aug. 2, 2003 at Wingate Dutchess in Fishkill. Mr.

Fiege was a superintendent for Chemprene of Beacon, retiring in 1982. He also was a school crossing guard in Beacon for 10 years. He was a 13 year resident formerly of Beacon. Mr. Fiege was past exalted ruler of the BPOE 149 of Beacon; the State VP.

District Deputy in 1985; and a member of St John's in Beacon and St Mary's in FlshkilL Born Jan. 26, 1918 in the Bronx, he was the son of John, and Claire Panzironl On Sept 2, 1939 in St Denis Church in Hopewell Junction, he married Virginia (Ginny) Bunting. Mrs. Flege survives at home. In addition to his wife, he is also survived by sons, Richard and his wife, Joan of Boyton Beach, Fla Paul of Fishkill; Donald and his wife, Ingrid of Red Hook; Hilary and his wife, Rosie of Beacon; John and his wife, Conine of Danbury, daughters, Mary and her husband, Paul Laurell of Newburgh; and Sue Fiege of Bea con.

Calling hours will be 10 11 am, Saturday, Aug. 9, at Libby Funeral Home, 55 Teller Beacon. Funeral services will be conducted at 11 am and prayers will be offered at 11:15 am, at the funeral home. Father Wilson will officiate. Burial of (remains will be in the Fishkill Rural Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Elks Retirement Home. In Loving Memory Of John Vacirca Happy Birthday John! It's been 20 years since we've shared your birthday cake togeiher. We all miss you terribly and our love for you has never faded. Love always, Your Family Aline Benedict PLEASANT VALLEY Aline Benedict 87, died Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2003 at the Hyde Park Nursing Home in Hyde Park.

Mrs. Benedict had been a live in housekeeper with several area families. She and her husband, Everett, had then owned and operated a small farm stand in Pleasant Valley for many years. Born Jan. 22, 1916 in VanHeek Hill, Ontario, Canada, she was the daughter of Pierre and Anna Leroux Lalonde.

On May 19, 1968 in Pleasant Valley, she married Everett J. Benedict Mr. Benedict died Oct 31, 1983. Survivors include her sister, Beatrice Fontaine of Canada; a brother, Armand Lalonde of Canada; an aunt, Eva Pilon of Canada; and several nieces, nephews, grand nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a sister, LinaMinard.

Calling hours will be 6 8 pm, Thursday, at the Allen Funeral Home, Main St, Pleasant Valley. Burial and graveside services will be 10 am, Friday, at St Peter's Cemetery, Poughkeepsie. Memorial donations may be made to St Stanislaus Church, Main St, Pleasant Valley, NY 12569. IN MEMORIAM In Loving Memory LORI ANN KANE August 6, 1976 July 20, 1991: On Her 27th Birthday i Sadly Missed and Loved The Kane Family. MARLBORO Thelma Panzella, 93, of Marlboro, died Tuesday, Aug.

5, 2003 at Wingate at Ulster inllighland. Mrs. Panzella was a homemaker and a lifelong resident She was the 1st president of the Marlboro Milton Senior Citizens. Bom March 6, 1910 in Staten Island, she was the daughter of John and Pauline Sternberg Stellefson. She was married to the late Frank Panzella.

Survivors include her son, John Panzella of New Windsor, N.Y; a daughter, Thelma Mannese of Marlboro; three grandsons, John Panzella, Marc Panzella and Vincent Mannese and his wife, Terry, a granddaughter, Debbie Biangardo and her husband, Joseph; six great grandchildren; two brothers, Herbert Stellefson of Nel sonville, N.Y; Norman Stellefson of Marlboro; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a son in law, Vincent Mannese; a brother, Orville Stellefson; and a sister, Muriel Scott She was devoted mother, grandmother and great grandmother. Calling hours will be 2 4 and 7 9 pm, Thursday, at DiDonato Funeral Home, 1290 Route 9W, Marlboro. Funeralservices will be 10 am, Friday, at the funeral home, with Rev. Ray Spangler officiating.

Bunal will take place in the Cedar Hill Cemetery, Route 9W, Middlehope. At the request of the family, memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Ulster; 374 Violet Ave, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 or to the American Cancer Society, 159 Green St, Kingston, NY 12401. Nobel Prize winner work dies CLEVELAND Dr. Frederick C.Robbins, 86, who won a 1954 Nobel Prize for his polio research, died Monday of heart failure. Robbins, died at University Hospitals of Cleveland.

He was a pediatrics professor at the medical school and chief of pediatrics at what is now MetroHealth Medical Center when he was named a Nobel laureate. His prize winning research occurred at a Boston Children's Hospital laboratory before he moved to Cleveland in 1952. Robbins, along with virologists John Enders and Thomas Weller, won the prize for finding a way to cultivate the polio virus in a tissue culture. The breakthrough preceded development of the Salk and Sabin polio vaccines and the virtual eradication of the crippling disease in North America. Their technique also was used to produce vaccines against measles, mumps and other diseases.

In the early 1980s, when he was president of the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine in Washington, Robbins conducted a Reye's syndrome pilot study, which prompted doctors to stop prescribing aspirin for children with viral infections. The Associated Press Health of U.S. forests threatened as foreign earthworms spread Hm Associated Press STATE COLLEGE, Pa. From the Poconos in Pennsylvania to the forests of Alberta, there's an invasion under way and underground. Exotic species of earthworms from Europe and Asia are devouring the leaf litter that is so vital to northern forests, altering soil conditions, enabling the spread of invasive plant species and changing the food chain for forest animals.

"It's a big issue for forest health," said Mike Blumenthal, forest health supervisor for' the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry. It's not exactly a new problem explorers often used soil as bal last for their ships, sp earthworms have probably been arriving for as long as foreign ships have visited American shores. But only recently have scientists began to understand the effect earthworms are having on their newfound ecosystems. The idea of earthworms as ecological enemy seems as foreign as the earthworms themselves: But because glaciers eliminated earthworms from vast reaches of North America thousands of years ago, forests across the northern part of the continent have evolved without earthworms. "In agricultural settings, in gardens, everything that our grandmothers told us is true: They are good for the soil, they aerate the soil, they turn over organic matter, they break down and loosen the soil, they allow moisture," said Dennis Burton, director of land restoration at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education in Philadelphia.

"In an agricultural situation, they're fine. "But when you put them into a forest situation, that's where the problems begin." That's because in a forest, earthworms quickly devour the leaf litter and other surface material that form an integral part of the forest ecosystem. Weeds are spreading In doing so, the earthworms reduce spU acidity and boost the nutrients available in the soil. In a garden, that's great; but most of the species in northern forests have evolve, to do well in the low nutrient, high acid soils soil conditions that had also prevented weeds and other invasive species from gaining a foothold. At sites in New York and in the Poconos in Pennsylvania, John C.

Maerz and colleagues from Cornell University found areas with earthworm infestations also were more likely to have invasive plant T. EBflBwflBwflBwflBwM 9BwflBwflBwflBwflBwflBwflBwflBwflBwflBwfl Ht Fjm YBflBVflBVflBVflBVflBVflBVflCTTwflBVJBKvHfl jjy jgBaA bbW 'iFTHNj'TTl'Sk JPwPH i vbSbwAbwAbW 'Hr TCtfy ff JJiHBHBHBJiiBtw JbJt jPnFBSr bbbbbbbbb BPJWESf 'dffi' mcbHsbssssssssssssbbsssssIS Tha Associated Press Fran Lawn, right, assistant director of land restoration at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, and Anne Todd Bockarie, assistant professor of the Biology Schoolof Science and Health at Philadelphia University, count Asian earthworms in a fprrested area at the center in Philadelphia recently. species. Maerz also found the presence of earthworms often signaled a sharp decline in salamander populations. By eating the leaf litter, worms destroy the habitat that housed tiny insects and arthropods that Salamanders fed on.

"We think that the earthworms are affecting the (food) chain below them," Maerz said. "And there are lots of things, at least historically, that would have fed on salamanders snakes, shrews, thrushes, screech owls, everything." Most foreign worm infestations are found in urban forests, like the one the Schuylkill Center manages, and in residential areas where worms might have arrived in the root balls of ornamental plants. But increasingly, invasive worms are being found in more remote forest systems, accidental deposits along logging roads and iitrn Timrt HMSWM 'iwo6io t. Archbolb! Station: vrwwJ, archbold statioTLore Cornell University Invasive Plants site: wvuunvasive Wm plants.net 'vj Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry; ivwwrdcnnstate.pavjj usforestryAndexJitmyi Schuylkill Center for Envi ronmental t' inking trails and escapees from fishermen's bait batches, said Patrick' Bohlen, biologist and of research at the Arch bold Biological Station in Lake Placid, Fla. Once the worms are entrenched, trying to get rid of them would take a "Herculean effort," Bohlen said, "and you'd probably end up harming other species as weU." Blood banks schedule drives in bid to keep up supplies Blood banks need continual donations to maintain supplies for hospitals.

To give blood, one must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health. A photo identification is usually required. Blood can be given every 56 days. Those with type blood, both positive and negative, and those with a negative RH factor are especially needed, as those blood types can be given to anyone. American Red Cross For information about sponsoring a blood drive, contact Gina La Plante at the American Red Cross' at (845) 471 0202 ext.

314 or mail laplantegusa.red cross.org. For information about donating blood, call Gina Faustner (845) 471 0202 ext. 313. Donors are encouraged to make appointments, but walk in donors are welcome. Dutchess County Friday 2 to 7 p.m, Arlington Professional Firefighters, 11 Burnett Poughkeepsie.

Saturday 8 ajn. to 1 pjn, JH Ketcham Hose Company, Route 22, Dover Monday 9 am. to 2 pm, Supply, 205 Old Route 9, Fishkill. Tuesday 2 to 7 p.m., Pine Plains Hose Company, 7 Lake Road, Pine Plains. Aug.

13 2 to 7 p.m, Lowe's of Poughkeepsie, 790 South Road, Poughkeepsie. Aug. IS 10 am. to 3 pm, Vas sar Brothers Medical Center, Reade Place, Poughkeepsie. Ulster County Thursday 1 to 6 pm, Woodstock Rescue Squad and Overlook United Methodist Church, Rescue Squad Building, Route 212, Woodstock.

Friday 8 am. to 1 pm, Kingston Hospital, 396 Broadway, Kingston. Monday 9 am. to 2 pm, Zumtobel Staff Lighting, 3300 Route 9W, Highland Hudson VaHey Blood Services To schedule an appointment or for more information on the fol lowing blood drives, call (800) 9332566. Walk ins are also welcome.

To arrange to host a blood drive, call (800) 843 2566 or mail ace farellinybloodcenter.org. Dutchess County Thursday 10 am to 330 Astor Home, 36 Mill St, Rhinebeck. Friday 930 am. to 3 pm, IBM Poughkeepsie, 2455 South Road, Poughkeepsie. Tuesday 730 am.

to 1 pm and 130 to 7 All Sport Fitness Racquet Club; 17 Old Main Fishkill. Aug. 13 3 to 830 pm, Vineyard Community Church, 609 Route 82, Hopewell Junction. Aug. 14 11 am.

to 430 pm. Culinary Institute of America, 1946 Campus Drive, Hyde Park. Aug. 14 330 to 9 pm, Holy Trinity Church, 775 Main Poughkeepsie. Aug.

14 3 to 830 pm, St. Stanislaus. Church, Main Street, Pleasant Valley. Aug. 15 930 am.

to 3 pm, IBM Poughkeepsie, 2455 South Road, Poughkeepsie. Aug. 15 3 to 830 pm, Town of Rhinebeck, 80 Market Rhinebeck. Fixed sites IBM East FishkiU's Blood Donor Room, Route 52, Hopewell Junction: 2 to 8 pm Mondays, 9 am. to 3 pm Tuesdays and Fridays.

Kingston Holiday Inn, Kingston: 1 to 630 p.m. Mondays. Vassar Brothers The blood donor center is from Medical Center 730 am. to 6 pm Tuesdays and Vassar Brothers MedicalCen from 730 am. to 4 p.m.

Wednes ter in Poughkeepsie is accepting days and Thursdays, appointments for blood donations. Call (845) 437 3006. It's not your standard funeral it's the standardin funeral homes. srmri We have a committment to excellence in serving our families. Timothy P.

Doyle Funeral Home, Inc. 371 Hooker Ave. Poughkeepsie (845) 452 0460 www.doylefuneralhome.com Do You Understand? Need for planning Medicare Medicaid a Asset Transfers Trusts for details call: Tom Ackerman Denny Quinn Prime Financial Services, Inc. 845 485 3300 Ext, 4235 www.hvfinancial.com Securities offered through Prime Capital Services, Inc. Member NASDSIPC nsa tm fKKKRtt Hit i'bLHHI ii JPfwt Win if illySSrMB BswJr BH 'Am BIIb BBjHRHkhI flv Bl i.