Teacher Apparent $111-Million Lottery Winner

FOND DU LAC, Wis. â€”  America’s $111-million man apparently is a 30-year-old English teacher who bought a lottery ticket for his fiancee and hurried off to Florida after finding out they had won.

Leslie C. Robins’ parents confirmed a report in The Reporter of Fond du Lac that their son apparently holds the winning ticket. The newspaper, quoting sources it didn’t identify, said Robins left town with his fiancee to avoid reporters.

Only one ticket had the winning number combination in Wednesday’s drawing of the Powerball lottery, played in 14 states and Washington. The ticket was sold in Fond du Lac. The winner has 180 days to claim the prize.

Wisconsin State Lottery spokesman Steven Madsen said no one has claimed the prize.

“I figure they have their reasons and are trying to step back and take a couple of clear breaths before they step forward and do something quite remarkable,� Madsen said.

In Tampa, Fla., Robins’ parents--Charlie Robins, a former columnist for the now-closed Tampa Times, and his wife, Carol--confirmed to The Associated Press on Friday that their son has the apparent winning ticket and that he and a friend flew in from Milwaukee the night before.

The Fond du Lac newspaper said Robins bought the winning ticket at a Sentry Foods store two blocks from his apartment for his fiancee, Colleen De Vries, 24, a nurse at a Hartford hospital.

De Vries’ grandparents, John and Alice De Vries of Waupun, said they were stunned, but haven’t talked to their granddaughter.

Ruth De Vries, Colleen De Vries’ aunt, said she doesn’t expect the couple to claim their winnings for a few days. Their attorney advised them to lay low until media pressure subsides, she told the Reporter.

Delbert Schultz, principal at Sabish Junior High School, where Robins has taught for three years, predicted that Robins will patiently choose a time to claim the prize. “He is a very intelligent person,� Schultz said. “He knows all the ramifications.�

Sharon Simon, a teaching colleague, said Robins isn’t likely to change if he’s a multimillionaire.

Schultz and Simon portrayed Robins, an assistant track coach who makes $30,000 a year in his teaching job, as an all-American who dresses modestly and isn’t one to covet material things.