Make database handle persist in CGI/DBI application?

[Mary Anderson]

Hi all,

   I am writing a Web app in perl/cgi/dbi which (1) attempts to verify
logins by checking against database user passwords, and (2) follows good
dbi practices by logging the user in once at the beginning of the session
instead of logging in immediately prior to accessing the database.

   I am running afoul of CGI parameter passing conventions.  I do( and
find) the following

use CGI "standard";
use DBI;

my $dbh;
if ($condition){
     $dbh = $DBI:connect($connectionString, $login, $password);
#  find connection is successful at this poing

sub fubar{

     my $sth=$dbh->prepare($cmd);
# find that $dbh is undefined.

I have tried passing the handle in as a ref parameter, using $dbhRef = /*dbh
(maybe this one was done incorrectly) and tried passing a $dbhRef as a
value on a hidden textfield.  None of these work.  I tend to get 
"not an array"  when I try to do $$dbhref to dereference the handle.

Is there any way to make the handle persist?
Would I have this trouble if I used Mason?

Thanks in advance,
Mary Anderson