Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 19, 1993 TAG: 9312200320
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Joel Turner
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Buy a new house, car, boat, clothes? Take a trip around the world? Give part of the money to your church or a charity?
Pay off bills?
Or maybe invest part of it to be sure you have enough money to pay medical bills and live on after you retire?
In the final hours before Saturday's $20 million Virginia Lotto jackpot is drawn, we asked some lottery players in the Roanoke Valley how they would spend the money if they won.
They were asked to list the first three things they would buy or do with the money.
Some responded quickly, saying they had already thought about what they would do.
Others hesitated, choosing their words deliberately as they listed the things they would buy.
A winner of Saturday's Lotto jackpot would receive $1 million annually for 20 years. After taxes, that is $680,000 a year. To win, a player just had to match all six numbers in the drawing.
Of course, by the time you read this, the odds are 7,099,993 in 7,100,000 that none of these seven people was a winner.
\ Ronnie Fritz
Age: 45.
Occupation: Painter.
Residence: Roanoke.
What he would buy: A cattle farm in Bedford County, a new car or truck, but not sure about his third purchase. "I used to live in Bedford County and I've always wanted a farm there."
\ Wayne Lovern
Age: 45.
Occupation: Mechanic at Fred Whitaker Co.
Residence: Roanoke.
What he would buy: Pay off bills, a new Chevrolet Monte Carlo and a vacation in Hawaii. He's already checked out the price for the new car and figures it will be about $22,000. But he would pay off his bills first.
\ Norman "Trail" Jones
Age: 60.
Occupation: Retired from General Electric Co.
Residence: Roanoke.
What he would buy: "The first thing I would do is put the money in the bank and then sit down with my wife and get our priorities right on how to spend it. I might buy a new house with all of the trimmings, and then take care of my children. I'm not sure after that."
\ Dorothy Law
Age: 41.
Occupation: Employee at Our Lady of the Valley Nursing Home.
Residence: Roanoke.
What she would buy: "First, I would buy a new church for my brother, who is pastor of the Living Waters Church of God in Christ in Roanoke. He's just got a small building and I want him to have a better one. Second, I would pay off my bills, and third I would get me some transportation. Now, I have to ride in my husband's vehicle or catch a ride with someone."
\ Steve Miller
Age: 26.
Occupation: Roofing subcontractor.
Residence: Roanoke.
What he would buy: "The first thing I would do is to give money to homeless people. I would give each homeless family $5,000 or $10,000. I would go into the neighborhoods and help those who need help the most. If I got $500,000 a year, I'd give $300,000 to the homeless. Then I'd help my family and make sure I would never have to go hungry."
\ Sarah Sayles
Age: 30.
Occupation: Cashier at Moore's Building and Lumber Supplies.
Residence: Roanoke.
What she would buy: A new house, a car and some rental property. She would invest in rental property as a source of additional income to help supplement her earnings from the Lotto jackpot and her salary. She would buy rental property in cities outside the Roanoke Valley such as Greensboro, N.C. "I would also save some money for the college education of my children."
\ Lourdes Bradbury
Age: 37
Occupation: Nurses' aide.
Residence: Roanoke.
What she would buy: An around-the world vacation, with trips to the Great Wall of China nd Egypt. A new Mercedes Benz and a new house. She would also save some money for her children.
by CNB