Man wins $22 million Powerball, immediately calls childhood friend to honor their 1992 pact

How many times have you promised someone something and actually kept it? Most promises fade with time, with most of us thinking there is no reason to believe they will ever matter. But in 1992, two friends made a simple agreement: if either of them ever won the Powerball, they would split the prize. One of them eventually held a winning Powerball ticket, and the promise was honored without hesitation. The Wisconsin Lottery (@wilottery) confirmed the win and released full details about how the two friends split the prize.

Thomas Cook of Elk Mound, Wisconsin, purchased the winning Powerball ticket for the June 10, 2020, drawing at a Synergy Coop in Menomonie, Wisconsin. He had played the game since it launched in the state that same year. In the morning, he checked the numbers as he was sitting at the table having breakfast. "It was quite an experience when I read the first two or three numbers. I kind of froze and handed them to her and she froze," he recalled. The first person Cook called was Joseph Feeney of Menomonie, the friend he had made the promise to in 1992. "He called me, and I said, 'Are you jerking my bobber?'" Feeney said. The two had kept up the routine of buying lottery tickets for years. 

Feeney said, "We said whenever the big winner comes, we're gonna split it. So we buy every week, not really thinking it would happen." Cook added, "That happened many years ago. It just kind of continued... a handshake's a handshake, man." They chose the lump sum cash option of about $16.7 million, according to a Wisconsin Lottery press release. After federal and state taxes, each received around $5.7 million. Feeney had already retired from the fire department. Cook gave his two weeks’ notice. He said, "I can't think of a better way to retire. My family, I got grandchildren, great-grandchildren and I'm content to spend time with them while worrying about if I got time to go and where we can go and afford it and whatever. We can pursue what we feel comfortable with," according to NBC News.

The friends and their wives had taken trips together in a small convertible before the win. After the payout, they planned to keep traveling with more room. Cook said he even bought two more Powerball tickets afterward. "What can I lose?" he said. The Synergy Coop, where Cook bought the ticket, received a $100,000 bonus. "The power of friendship and a handshake has paid off. I'm thrilled for them—their lucky day has arrived," said Cindy Polzin, Director at the Wisconsin Lottery.

While their story is about keeping a decades-old promise, another lottery winner chose to use her unexpected good fortune to help others. Crystal Dunn, a 42-year-old single mother from Louisville, Kentucky, won $146,351.74 in a Kentucky Lottery online game. After collecting $103,909.73 post-tax, she bought $2,000 in gift cards and handed them out to strangers at a local grocery store. Dunn, who grew up in foster care and later put herself through college, said she wanted to give back because she knows what it’s like to struggle. "I just received this amazing gift, and I wanted to share that," she said. Kentucky Lottery officials praised her gesture, noting that her decision to pay it forward left a lasting impact.