Secretive Powerball Winner Bails Out School

Gloria MacKenzie to donate $2M to Maine high school
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 24, 2013 8:20 AM CDT
Secretive Powerball Winner Bails Out School
Gloria C. Mackenzie, 84, left, leaves the lottery office escorted by her son, Scott Mackenzie, after claiming a single lump-sum payment of about $370.9 million before taxes on June 5, 2013.   (AP Photo/Steve Cannon)

Almost any sensible person facing a leaky roof and a $1.87 million repair bill is likely to enter daydream mode at some point: If only a millionaire would swoop in and... It turns out "save the day" is exactly what secretive Florida resident Gloria MacKenzie is doing for a school in Maine. The 84-year-old Powerball winner (of the biggest jackpot in US history, you'll recall) will donate $2 million to Schenck High School for assorted repairs, the Bangor Daily News reports.

MacKenzie, who collected a lump sum that worked out to $278 million after taxes, is a native of East Millinocket, where the school is located. She hasn't said a word since winning the jackpot, and that's not significantly changing now: She sent news of her plan to the school via family members, and the superintendent says he doesn't think MacKenzie "will have any comment publicly"; her daughter is a biology teacher at the school. The Daily News last week reported that MacKenzie is spending a little cash on herself, too: She recently bought a "majestic" 6,322-square-foot, five-bedroom home in a Jacksonville golf course community for $1.175 million. (Click for the story of another incredibly lucky lotto winner.)

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