
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, July 11, 1993                   TAG: 9307110117
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.                                LENGTH: Medium

LOTTERY WINNER SAYS HE'LL LIVE MODESTLY

A teacher who apparently holds the winning $111 million Powerball lottery ticket said he's hiding out in Florida and making spending plans that have nothing to do with mansions and luxury cars.

"The particular school I was teaching at could use some improvements that I would like to help them make," Leslie Robins, 30, told The Lakeland Ledger in a story published Saturday.

"And we would like to help out the hospital where my fiancee is."

Robins, a junior high school English teacher from Fond du Lac, Wis., plans to share the largest individual lottery prize in U.S. history with his fiancee, nurse Colleen De Vries.

After Robins' numbers apparently came up Wednesday in the multistate lottery, the couple flew to his parents' home in Tampa, then went to an undisclosed location on Florida's Gulf Coast to escape attention.

Hordes of reporters, well-wishers and opportunists have been dogging them since the jackpot was announced, he said.

"The first two days we were probably more scared and intimidated than elated," Robins said Friday night. "Overall, things are beginning to die down enough where we feel comfortable."

De Vries, 24, said they have no plans to live lavishly. They may travel, but there won't be any "luxury cars or mansions or vacation homes that I can see right now."

"That's just how we are," said De Vries, a Fond du Lac native. "Our main goal is to provide for friends and family and be able to allow them to enjoy life with us."

Robins, a Tampa native, said he wanted to apologize to friends, family and past students who left messages on the couple's Wisconsin answering machine.

"We hope that people don't think we are rude by not coming forward," he said. "It's just not practical to return the calls."

Co-worker Joe Sagen said he celebrated with Robins at a bar after the winning numbers were drawn.

"He is very humble. He just wants to be an ordinary guy," said Sagen, a counselor at Sabish Junior High School.

Only one ticket sold in the Powerball game played in 14 states and the District of Columbia had the winning combination. The winner has 180 days to claim the prize, but there was no indication when Robins intends to meet with lottery officials.

Robins, who makes about $30,000 a year as a teacher, would receive 20 annual payments of about $3.5 million after taxes.

by CNB