If John Cox, 67, isn't the wealthiest cook in Callaway, he's certainly the happiest.
The Sir Winston's employee won the grand $50,000 prize from a Bonus Word Missouri Lottery scratcher ticket he bought Nov. 7 - on his late mother's birthday, and two days after his own - at Fastlane 64 off Amerihorst Drive.
"It was two days late, but that's fine," said Cox, who said he buys the $3 tickets three or four times a week. "Those kinds of things just don't happen to me. Actually I thought I made a mistake."
The Bonus Word Crossword lottery scratcher officially began Aug. 27, and the Missouri Lottery's webiste, molottery.com, estimates that Cox is just the third of eight possible $50,000 grand prize winners.
To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.