Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • Page C07

THE HARTFORD COUEANT MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2009 C7 OBITUARIES LIVING AT WORK Pharmacy Career: Easy Pill To Swallow VACANTI, Iris (Petrie) Iris (Petrie) Vacanti of Manchester, wife of the late Samuel R. Vacanti died Friday (January 2, 2009) at Manchester Memorial Hospital. She was born in Bemidjii, daughter of the late Clyde and Effie (Robinson) Petrie. Mrs. Vacanti moved to East Aurora, NY and attended high school there before moving East, first to Chaplin and later Manchester.

She was a member of the Emblem Club of the B.P.O.E. 1893 in Manchester. Mrs. Vacanti is survived by her son Donald Vacanti of Alabama and her daughter Laurie A. Vacanti and her husband Ken Douglas of Buff City, TN, five grandchildren and several great grandchildren.

Besides her husband and parents she was predeceased by a son Samuel Vacanti, two daughters Nancy Cahill and Linda Vacanti and her sister Mary Eastman. Funeral services and burial in East Cemetery, Manchester will be private. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to ECHN Community Health Care Foundation Inc. 71 Haynes St.

Manchester, CT 06040 for the benefit of the John DeQuattro Community Cancer Center. Watkins Funeral Home, Manchester has care of the arrangements. By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN McClatchy Newspapers The enticement was hard to refuse: a signing bonus of $30,000. The wad of cash would help with student loans. Then there was the nearly $130,000 annual salary So, straight out of pharmacy school in Chapel Hill, N.C., R.J.

Kulyk crossed the country for a job at a Walgreens in Redding, Calif. "It was a no-brainer," Kulyk recalled. Pharmacists remain in short supply across the country, especially in rural areas. Competition among retail outlets and health-care facilities is fierce, and the pay salaries typically start around $120,000 is high. To lure pharmacists, retailers are dangling incentives of all kinds.

For a while, one even put recruits behind the wheel of a BMW "You felt safe while in pharmacy school, that you could pretty much decide where you wanted to go," said Kulyk, 32. Behind the shortage is an aging population in need of skilled advice, and increasing demand for pharmaceuticals that is only expected to accelerate in the years to come. Job growth and competition is also being driven by the expansion of retail giants such as Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS. And though new pharmacy schools aimed at churning out more highly trained professionals have popped up across the country, demand still outstrips diplomas. "The challenge is that the shortage will likely continue due to many factors.

One factor is the aging populations of our communities," said "There are a ton of new schools out there," said Katherine Knapp, dean of the pharmacy program at Touro University in Vallejo, Calif. Just seven years ago, U.S. pharmacy graduates numbered 29 for every million people. Last year, the number rose to 33 graduates per million, Knapp and others say Next spring, Touro is scheduled to grant degrees to 62 pharmacy students, its first class of graduates. Enrollment at pharmacy schools has risen for seven straight years.

In fall 2007, 3,956 full-time students were enrolled nationwide barely enough to fill the 3,904 jobs vacant in January 2007 at retail pharmacies, according to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. Admission is highly competitive, requiring a high score on the Pharmacy College Admission Test and courses that emphasize science and math. To earn a doctor of pharmacy degree, students must undergo at least two years of undergraduate college course work followed by four academic years of professional study, according to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy's website. "With a tremendous shortage of pharmacists, there are thousands of students trying to get in," said David Hawkins, dean of California Northstate College of Pharmacy in Rancho Cordova, which opened in August. Relying mostly on word of mouth, visits to area colleges and traffic to its recruitment website, Northstate received 350 applications for its inaugural class of 89 students.

RAVINDER KAUR, San Quach, Leschinski, from left, work on an Northstate College of Pharmacy. Phillip Oppenheimer, dean of the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. "The elderly use a lot more medication per capita. In Kaiser Permanente's Northern California region, 8 percent of its pharmacist jobs are vacant, said Frank Hurtarte, the director of recruitment services for Kaiser facilities from the Bay Area to the foothills.

Kaiser has 154 pharmacies in the region and filled 24.6 million prescriptions last year. To get noticed by potential employees, Kaiser Permanente advertises in journals, gives referral bonuses and offers signing bonuses of as much as $20,000, Hurtarte said. Libby Olson received her pharmacy degree from the University of the Pacific in May and knows she is in demand. "That's why I went into the profession," said Olson, who left a career as a training specialist in biotechnology to HECTOR AMEZCUA Sacramento Bee Mike Westlake and Tatyana assignment at California enter pharmacy school. She sought a job in a hospital that would offer her closer interaction among patients, nurses and doctors.

She started work at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento last spring. "There were lots of companies offering incentives at the time; some of them offer large sign-on bonuses," mainly retail pharmacies, she said. Sutter offered Olson several thousand dollars as a signing bonus. She negotiated her hours so she could work half-time and spend more time with her two children. "They did offer to be more flexible with me," she said.

Though the struggling economy has caused drug sales to dip some people are delaying doctor visits or scrimping on medication experts say the demand for pharmacists will continue. New pharmacy schools have opened in response. The United States now has 106, according to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy THEIRINGER, James R. Jr. James R.

"Jimmy" Thie-ringer 43, beloved and devoted husband of Yvonne "Evy" Smith Thieringer, of An-sonia, unexpectedly entered into eternal rest on Friday evening (January 2, 2009). Jimmy was born in England on January 12, 1965 son of James R. and Donna Schaefer Thieringer Sr. of Plainville. He was raised and lived in Plainville for most of his life before moving to Ansonia when he married in 2002.

A hard working, dedicated employee, he worked as a press set-up operator at Alinabal in Milford for many years. Jim was kind and personable man whom besides his family loved NASCAR and attending races and was an avid football and New England Patriots fan. He was also considered a "Mr. Fix Jim's sudden and unexplained passing leaves a broken heart to everyone who knew him. Besides his wife and parents, he is survived by two brothers, Peter Thieringer and his wife Kristin of Torrington and Scott Thieringer of Plainville, a sister Susan Thieringer of Plainville, sister in law Catherine Smith and brother in law Gary Smith of Stratford, nieces and nephews, Kayla and T.J.

Smith, Skyler, Jor-dyn, and Jacob Thieringer as well as several other nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends. Friends and relatives are invited to attend a celebration of Jim's life on Wednesday January 7, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. in the chapel of the SPINELLI-RICCIUTI FUNERAL HOME, 62 Beaver Street in Ansonia with Pastor James Wegner officiating. Burial will follow in Mt. St.

Peter's Cemetery in Derby. Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday January 6th from 4-8 p.m. at the SPINELLI-RICCIUTI FH. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Jim's wife Evy through the funeral home. To send an online condolence or obtain driving directions, please visit www.

spinellifuneralhome.com. T0NK0N0W, Sherman M. Sherman M. Ton- konow, 89, of Meriden, died on Saturday (January 3, 2008) at Elim Park Health Center, Cheshire, Connecticut. He was the husband of the late Hope R.

Ton-konow. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Mr. Tonkonow was the son of the late Judge Benjamin and Ethel Tonkonow. He was a graduate of Meriden High School, Harvard University and Harvard Law School. After serving in the Army during World War II, Mr.

Tonkonow returned to Meriden where he practiced law until his retirement in 1999. He was the past president of the Meriden-Walling-ford Bar Association, the Temple B'nai Abraham Men's Club, and the Meriden Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center, and a member of the first Meriden Planning Commission. Mr. Tonkonow is survived by his daughters, Abby Tonkonow and Barbara Kend-zior and her husband, Lawrence Kendzior of Meriden; his granddaughter, Sarah Kendzior, her husband Peter Blackwell, and his beloved great-granddaughter, Emily Hope Blackwell, all of St. Louis, Missouri; his granddaughter Elizabeth Kendzior and her fiance, Michael Saw-icki of New York, New York.

He is also survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Francis and Janet Tonkonow of Meriden; his nieces Leslie Tonkonow and her husband Klaus Ottmann of New York, New York, and Amy Kohan and her husband Richard of Wellesley, Massachusetts; his nephew Bruce Tonkonow and his wife Dana of Middletown, Connecticut; his great-nieces, Rebekah Kohan and Lydia Tonkonow and great-nephew, Benjamin Kohan. The Tonkonow and Kendzior families would like to thank the staff of Elim Park Health Care Center for their care, compassion, humor and love. The funeral will be held on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. at Temple B'nai Abraham, 127 East Main Street, Meriden. Burial will be in B'nai Abraham Cemetery.

Arrangements are under the direction of the John F. Ferry Sons Funeral Home, 88 E. Main Street, Meriden. (www. jferryfh.com).

A period of mourning will be observed at the home of Barbara and Lawrence Kendzior, 562 Baldwin Avenue, 16, Meriden, on Tuesday January 6, 2009, and Wednesday, January 7, 2009 from 3-5 p.m. and 7-8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in Mr. Ton-konow's memory may be made to Project Excel, Piatt High School, 220 Coe Avenue, Meriden, CT 06451 or a charity's of one's choice. Dionor a loved one in the obituary section on courant.com ECONOMIC DOWNTURN What Safety Net? Many Jobless Don Get Benefits By JANE M.

VON BERGEN Philadelphia Inquirer WEEKEND BOX OFFICE 'Marley Me' Remains Top Dog Associated Press "Marley Me," about an adorably mischievous pooch, took in $24.1 million to finish as the No. 1 movie for a second-straight weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday The flick raised its total to $106.5 million since opening Christmas Day With no new wide releases, the weekend shaped up largely like the previous one, with Adam Sandler's comedy "Bedtime Stories" in second place with $20.3 million. Rounding out the top five again were Brad Pitt's romantic drama "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" with $18.4 million, Tom Cruise's World War II saga "Valkyrie" with $14 million and Jim Carrey's comedy "Yes Man" with $13.9 million. Hollywood finished 2008 with solid returns. Domestic revenues totaled $9.63 billion for the year, just shy of the $9.68 billion record set in 2007, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

Factoring in 2008's higher admission prices, the number of tickets sold fell to 1.35 billion, down 4.3 percent from 2007. That was a solid result given hard economic times, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers. "The movie industry is totally holding its own in the face of the recession, increased competition from other entertainment options and emerging technologies," he said. Here are estimated grosses for the top movies in North American theaters for Friday through Sunday Figures are in millions of YOUNG, Colby (Armstrong) Colby (Armstrong) Young, 55, of West Hartford, died Friday, (January 2, 2009) at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center.

Born in England, daughter of the late Arthur Armstrong and the late Anne (Tirrell) Moffatt, she had lived in West Hartford most of her life. She was an executive assistant at the accounting firm Whittlesey Hadley P.C. in Hartford. Colby was an avid reader, a wonderful and animated storyteller, as well as a movie and music aficionado, who enjoyed the company of her family and friends. She is survived by her husband and best friend, Bruce Young.

In addition, Colby is survived by her stepdaughter Jessica, and granddaughter Melody. Her Stepfather, Frederick S. Moffatt, her brothers, David and William Armstrong, Mark and Kenneth Moffatt and a sister, Beth Cartwright. Colby has a large family of in-laws who love and miss her: Charlie, Cindy, Rita, Bobby, Christine, Michael, Susan, Rick, Jonathan, Lynne, David, Jeanne, Geoffrey, Barbara, Gerard, and Kathleen, along with numerous nieces and nephews: Jack, Edward, James, Christopher, Adam, Jackson, Alex, Nick, David, Connie, Dana, Taylor, Tess, Ian, Carolyn, Elizabeth, Jonathan, Michael, Josh, Amanda, Catherine, Bernadette, Clelia, Timothy, Joseph, Raymond, Mary, Christian, Damien, Gerard and three great nephews Nicholas, Matthew and Evan. There are innumerable, cherished friends who love her.

A Memorial Service will be Tuesday, 1 p.m. at St. James Episcopal Church, 1018 Farmington West Hartford. There are no calling hours. Burial will be private.

The Sheehan Hilborn Breen Funeral Home, west Hartford has care of the arrangements. Please send donations in Colby's name to the "Bishop Corner Branch Library" 15 Starkel Hartford, CT 06117. In Loving Memory of JOHN J. McMAHON "RED MAC" July 16, 1921 Jan. 5, 2004 We love you and miss you.

Forever in our hearts. Your loving wife, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren JOSEPH E. REESE, M.D. 062921-010508 Joe, Daddy, Grandpa, Dad: You are sorely missed; from daily routines to special events. (We credit your grace towards the Phillies' Title!) Thank you for all the life lessons and support.

Be at peace, body and soul. Our love, Fran, Daryl and "the kids" MICHAEL "MICKEY" PROKOP Our Son 92550 10504 It's been five years. I pray everyday and will always. All my love, Mom isit the obituary section on courant.com to share memories of loved ones. 0 dollars: WEEKEND 1.

Marley Me $24.1 2. Bedtime Stories 20.3 3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 18.4 4. Valkyrie 14 5. Yes Man 13.9 6.

Seven Pounds 10 7. The Tale of Despereaux 7 8. Doubt 5 9. The Day the Earth Stood Still 4.9 10. Slumdog Millionaire 4.8 On Dec.

19, when the Chrysler plant in Newark, shut its doors, more than 1,000 autoworkers there suddenly joined the ranks of the unemployed. At least they will be able to get unemployment insurance. Most jobless workers can't. Across the United States, only 37 percent of workers who lose their jobs typically collect unemployment benefits, according to U.S. Labor Department statistics.

They often miss out because they didn't earn enough while working, or their work history was not continuous enough to make them eligible under state unemployment laws, usually written in the pre-computer era when tracking payrolls was much slower. At a time when the recession is a year old and the number of unemployed has risen to 10.3 million, there is a real question about where federal unemployment dollars should go. Should they be sent directly to states' strained employment trust funds, enabling states to keep from raising unemployment taxes on already beleaguered employers? Or should they go to expanding eligibility, supporting states whose policies provide help to more people, who in turn will spend their benefits and boost the economy? Last year, that approach was part of a federal bill the Unemployment Insurance Modernization Act passed in the House, but not the Senate, although then-Sen. Barack Obama was a sponsor. "I think it's a shock to people that the safety net is in such sad shape," said Maurice Emsellem, co-policy director at the National Employment Law Project, a pro-worker group advocating for the bill.

"A lot of people fall through the cracks. Advocates like Emsellem always try to expand benefits in tough times, said Douglas J. Holmes, president of the National Foundation for Unemployment Compensation and Workers' Compensation, a Washington business group. It would be better to skip the debate and ship the money to the state trust funds quickly, he said. "Federal money is not designed to dictate benefits state by state." Those who fall through the cracks tend to be low-wage, part-time, seasonal or new workers, not like the 1,000 autoworkers laid off in Delaware.

"Although low-wage workers were almost 212 times as likely to be out of work as higher-wage workers, they were about half as likely to receive benefits," said a US Government Accountability Office report written last year. Unemployment insurance began in 1935, primarily as a safety net for people who had lost full-time jobs but expected to return to them. These days, most people who are laid off don't get called back. People change jobs frequently, cobble together part-time jobs or work as independent contractors. "Today, the work force is very different, and this is the heart of the matter," said former U.S.

Labor Secretary Robert Reich. OBITUARY 'Batman Actor Pat Hingle Saturday. Seidman said he decided to settle in the coastal town after shooting the movie "Maximum Overdrive" in the area in 1986. He lived there for more than 15 years. Family spokeswoman Lynn Heritage said Hingle was diagnosed with myelodysplasia in November 2006.

His career in movies and television spanned six decades, and he was also nominated for a Tony Award in 1958. Hingle's last movie was "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," which was released in 2006. Associated Press CAROLINA BEACH, NC. Pat Hingle, a veteran actor whose career included a recurring role as Commissioner Gordon in several "Batman" movies in the 1990s, has died after battling blood cancer. He was 84.

Hingle Family friend Michele Seidman said Hingle died at his home in Carolina Beach shortly after 10 p.m..