Tennessean wins a third of Powerball jackpot
Lottery officials verified Friday that a longtime resident of the small town of Munford, Tenn., bought one of three tickets winning the worldrecord US$1.6 billion Powerball jackpot.
Tennessee Lottery executive Rebecca Hargrove made the big announcement.
John Robinson of Munford, a town of 6,000 north of Memphis, said he quickly reached out to his brother and others to assemble a team of lawyers and financial planners.
What could one person possibly do with all that money?
Robinson said earlier on NBC’s Today show in New York that he and his wife, Lisa, want to help out friends, give to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, and donate to their church. “I’m a firm believer in tithing to my church,” Robinson said.
Their daughter, Tiffany, who flew with them to New York and back, is looking forward to paying off her student loans. She also wants a horse. “My first thought was, I’ve always wanted a horse,” she said. “I get a horse now. My dad always said, ‘ When I win the lottery.’ ”
The three jackpot winners can leave their winnings to be invested and thereby collect 30 annual payments totalling an estimated $ 533 million, or take their third of $ 983.5 million in cash all at once. Robinson said he would take the lump sum.
“Now I’ ll be nervous because everybody knows,” John Robinson said. He even brought the family dog to New York and back.
The other tickets were sold in Melbourne Beach, Fla., and Chino Hills, Calif., each one overcoming odds of 1 in 292.2 million to land on all the numbers.
Neighbour Mary Sue Smith said Lisa Robinson asked her Friday morning to put “No Trespassing” signs on their lawn while they’re away from their small onestorey house in Munford.
John Robinson works in information technology and his wife is employed at a dermatologist’s office. Their son, Adam, is an electrician. They also have a second home nearby where Robinson “loves to fish,” said Roy Smith.