When Solomon Jackson Junior stepped forward as South Carolina's newest multi-millionaire, the jackpot jealousy began. "First of all, to God be the glory," Jackson said. The retired Department of Revenue worker hit it big with his Powerball ticket. It's a feeling Thomas Williams of Greenville knows all too well. Williams didn't need $259 million like Jackson to change his life. $200,000 on a scratch off ticket last month was enough. "A lot of people say I'm lucky but I really feel blessed more than lucky. You go from struggling making your house payments to having your house paid off. You don't have to worry about a mortgage anymore."
The tree trimmer faced foreclosure on his home, but that's not the case now. He used the cash to pay off his mortgage and help some family members. He also splurged on an old used truck. he says a little luck didn't change him at all. "I had a girl ask me at the store if it was going to change me," Williams says. "I said if it changed me, I didn't deserve the money."
From the looks of it, the latest to hit the spotlight feels the same way. At a news conference in Columbia Tuesday afternoon, Jackson said, "That's just me. Normal. Some winners anticipate a change, but I'll still be the same old Solomon." From one winner to another, Williams has some advice. "I come from a hard working family that never really had much. We always had to work for it, always shared what we had. I think he should do the same."
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