Jun 30, 2002 3 min read

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Former Morgantown auto mechanic Robert Cogar received an unexpected birthday present this year in the form of a $30.6 million winning Powerball ticket. The West Virginia Lottery Commission validated the ticket Friday, and Cogar, 42, of Point Marion, Pa., received a check worth more than $12 million after choosing the lump sum option.

“I certainly needed the money,” said Cogar, the father of several children and a former mechanic at University Motors in Morgantown.

Cogar’s girlfriend, Georgianna Carter, 34, said they plan to use the money to help their family.

“Our primary use of the money will be to assure that the children will have secure futures that include college educations,” Carter said. “We’ll help our older, immediate family members as well.”

Cogar and Carter arrived at Lottery headquarters in Charleston in a limousine after stopping at McDonald’s, where Cogar bought coffee.

Cogar, dressed in a black shirt and jeans, remained composed throughout the announcement, allowing only a glimpse of a modest smile from time to time as he quietly answered questions from reporters.

Cogar bought the lucky ticket on June 8 – his birthday – at Cottrell’s Country Store in Morgantown, just across the border from Pennsylvania. He discovered he had the matching numbers the next day, and motioned for Carter to take a second look.

“You look more than twice … think it’s a mistake,” Cogar said.

Cogar remained calm the entire time, Carter said.

“He doesn’t get excited,” Carter said, smiling gently as she spoke with reporters.

Cogar and Carter contacted the Lottery Commission on June 10, Lottery spokeswoman Nancy Bulla said.

“The joy for me is in talking with prizewinners,” Bulla said. “It’s like all the holidays rolled into one.”

The couple waited until Friday to validate the ticket so they could go over financial plans, Cogar said.

Lottery Director John Musgrave said that was a wise choice.

“This much money needs to be handled carefully and thoughtfully,” Musgrave said. “It can mean a future of security and well-being, if managed.”

Cogar, who has since quit his job at University Motors, said he played the Lottery regularly and usually bought tickets at Cottrell’s. He bought 10 Powerball plays on June 8 and let the computer select the numbers.

With their winnings, the two plan to build a modest, three-bedroom home and contribute to the Make a Wish Foundation and the Dave Thomas Foundation.

When asked how his life would change since winning, Cogar replied, “Hopefully for the better.”

He also plans to continue servicing his own cars and “just try to live the good life and maybe tinker with some old cars.”

Carter said she would also like to visit Egypt, adding that she’s fascinated with the pyramids and the Sphinx.

Cottrell’s will receive a $100,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling the ticket, which marked the seventh time a multi-state lottery jackpot ticket was sold in West Virginia, and the first time the winner has been able to choose the cash option, Bulla said.

If Cogar had chosen the annuity option, he would have received $893,520 a year after taxes for 25 years, Bulla said.

The last time a winning multi-state jackpot ticket was sold in West Virginia was in 1995, when Roger Boone of Lewisburg won $23.8 million – then the largest multi-state jackpot won in West Virginia.

Besides the winning Powerball ticket, Cottrell’s has sold four winning $100,000 lottery tickets, lottery officials said.

The Powerball game made its debut in Pennsylvania this week, which brings the number of states participating to 25.

Meanwhile, West Virginia lottery sales for May were $84.1 million, up 48 percent from May 2001.