Record High [Lottery]W. V. contractor wins largest single lottery jackpot

West Virginia Gazette.com ^ | Gavin McCormick

[Salvation]

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Record high
West Virginia contractor wins largest single lottery jackpot
Thursday December 26, 2002

By Gavin McCormick
The Associated Press

A 55-year-old West Virginia water and sewer contractor has won the $314.9 million Powerball jackpot, the largest single lottery jackpot in history.

Andrew Jackson Whittaker Jr. received a $10 million advance check from Gov. Bob Wise Thursday at a news conference. The balance of Whittaker's $314.9 million won't be presented for another two weeks.

Whittaker said he originally thought he had lost the jackpot because the numbers came up wrong on the televised drawing Christmas night. It wasn't until Thursday morning that he realized he won the jackpot.

The winning numbers were 5-14-16-29-53 and the Powerball was 7.

"The very first thing I'm going to do is go home and make out three checks to three pastors,” said Whittaker, who was dressed in all black and was wearing a black cowboy hat.

"I've been blessed my entire life,” he said.

Whittaker is the president of three construction companies. He said he has about 25 employees laid off now because of the weather.

”Every morning I wake up I feel like I've won the lottery,” Whittaker said.

He decided to take the cash option, which entitles him to a one-time payment of $170 million, or $111,681.349 after taxes.

"I've had to work for everything in my life. This is the first thing that's ever been given to me,” he said, who is originally from Jumping Branch, Summers County.

He and his wife, Jewell, plan to travel to New York City Thursday night.

After learning he had won the lottery, he went back to C&L Super Serve, the store where he spent $100 purchasing Powerball tickets on Monday. When he returned to the store he gave one of the employees a $100 tip.

The store's owner, Larry Trogdon, received a $100,000 check for selling the winning ticket.

[Salvation]

This guy was so cool. Said he would tithe the first 10 percent! No luck about it. He said he was "blessed."

FYI

[dirtboy]

Hope the guy got his phone number unlisted before coming forward...

[Salvation]

**"The very first thing I'm going to do is go home and make out three checks to three pastors,” said Whittaker, who was dressed in all black and was wearing a black cowboy hat.**

[RandallFlagg]

I'm jealous as all hell, but good for him!

[Sungirl]

"I've been blessed my entire life,” he said.

How does one go about getting blessed .... I'd like a piece of that. :)

[Salvation]

Why? Are you a pastor?

[xJones]

Paging Doc Raoul! Let us eat our hearts out together. :)

[Salvation]

**How does one go about getting blessed**

He said he had been tithing all his life. And when you tithe -- give the first 10% of the gross paycheck, many blessings do come back to you.

[SGCOS]

...which entitles him to a one-time payment of $170 million, or $111,681.349 after taxes.

West Virginia sure has high tax rates!

[Ff--150]

Proverbs 13:22>...and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

Sign of the times??

[Salvation]

**Paging Doc Raoul! Let us eat our hearts out together.**

Did you hear what he said about playing the lottery? He only plays when it gets above $100,000. Otherwise he doesn't bother.

[Dog]

I heard this morning the FEDS take 27% and the State of WV take 6%...

[Salvation]

bump that!

[jgrubbs]

I would buy Bridgeville, CA

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15825&item=1791801094

[Salvation]

**Proverbs 13:22>...and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.**

Amen!

(And I am Catholic!) LOL! Catholics are notorious for not tithing, but we are getting better.

[Salvation]

He said the second thing he would do is give money to his family and the third thing would be to get the 25 people he had to lay off at Christmas time a new job, by going ahead and bidding on some more jobs.

And to think that UBL and his followers think we are all greedy Americans!

[FourPeas]

"The very first thing I'm going to do is go home and make out three checks to three pastors,” said Whittaker

Cool.

[kcvl]

His daughter has just overcome cancer, his wife wants to travel to Israel and his granddaughter seems to be his best friend. It sounds like a fairytale come true.

[Focault's Pendulum]

When he returned to the store he gave one of the employees a $100 tip.

Is it just me...or does this just sound wrong?

[kcvl]

I think you left out a few zeros...$100,000,000.00. He might play now if the jackpot gets to $10,000,000.00.