Carol and Alan North are the most recent winners of the New York Lottery's Set For Life scratchoff game. The couple will each get a gross payout of $32,500 quarterly for life with a minimum payout of $5 million.
Alan North bought the winning ticket March 5 at the Ballston Lake Stewart's shop, 322 Ushers Road. The official announcement of the names of the latest winners was held Thursday in the Ushers Road store with a group of envious customers looking on.
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North, 56 is a an engineer with the Knolls Atomic Power Lab in Niskayuna. His wife owns a real estate company. The couple have four children and five grandchildren. Alan came to the presentation dressed in a loud Hawaiian shirt indicative of a newly planned vacation to the tropical islands.
North said he bought the winning ticket as he killed time waiting for his wife, who was working late at her business. When he found out his wife wouldn't be home right away, North said he took a drive and then stopped at the store specifically to pick up a couple of lottery tickets. He described his usual expenditure on lottery tickets as "a reasonable amount".
"I like the Set for Life game 'cause if you win you're set for life," he said with a big laugh. "It can change your life but not all at once."
He bought two $10 tickets from Stewart's clerk Mary Lattimore and scratched them off while standing in the store. The first ticket was a $10 winner. North said he was pleased to get the small payoff. As he scratched away at the second ticket he saw an "L" appear in the first box.
"I started shaking when I saw that "L"," he said. "I figured it might spell out the word LIFE. When I scratched the rest off and saw I was right I really started shaking."
Despite the intuition North took the ticket up to Lattimore and asked for her opinion.
"As he came up to me I took one look at him and I could tell he was a winner," Lattimore said. "I said to him, 'You're a winner aren't you', and he said "I think I am.'"
"Mary kept me from fainting," North said. The Clifton Park man was so happy he gave his $10 winning ticket to the customer behind him in line at the counter.
Lattimore said she was worried about North and was prepared to drive him home.
When he made it back to his residence North was able to contact everyone in his immediate family with the good news except his wife. "When she finally came home I couldn't help myself," he said. "I screamed. "We did it. We're millionaires"."
Because North has split the ticket with his wife the couple will each receive quarterly checks for $22,149 after taxes for the rest of their lives.
North said he paid for lunch for his co-workers Thursday while he was at the award ceremony.
His wife said she wants to do some shopping and take care of her friends. The couple plan to visit Universal Studios in Florida soon and spend an upcoming anniversary in Hawaii.
They were joined for the presentation by family, friends, and several of Carol North's realty agents. She said she intends to continue operating her business despite the big win. Alan has asked Knolls officials if he can work part time.
"I want to keep a balance," Carol North said. "I want to enjoy it."
The best thing about being a millionaire, Alan said, is the peace of mind it brings. "Knowing we can live comfortably," he said. "That's what it boils down to."
