Winner Looks for ‘Fun’ in Spending $9 Million

A carpet wholesaler from the town of Shingle Springs in California’s Gold Rush country claimed a Lotto 6/49 jackpot prize of $9.48 million Monday. He said that he doesn’t know exactly what he’ll spend the money on but “I’m going to have some fun.”

James W. Shivley, 55, a salesman for Atlas Carpet Mill in Los Angeles, will receive $390,200 a year for the next 20 years, after taxes. His jackpot is the sixth-highest award in the 44 weeks the Lotto game has been running.

He Likes His Job

“I enjoy doing the job I do,” Shivley said at a press conference at lottery headquarters here. “I have no desire to change my life style. But I’ve been putting 45,000 miles a year on my car (during work) and I don’t think I’ll be doing that after a year or so.”

Shivley, who said he has been spending about $20 a week on Lotto tickets since the game began, glanced at the Lotto board Saturday but didn’t check it against his tickets until the next evening.

He discovered first that he won $5 each on two tickets--”I said, ‘Hey, I’m living high on the hog this week,’ “--before realizing he took the top prize.

He had his wife, Carolyn, double-check the winning numbers--19, 6, 45, 11, 3, 20--then called his four adult children in Sacramento with the news.

“My daughter . . . I could have heard her without the phone,” he said.

“We’re all excited for them,” said Shively’s son, Michael, 30. “They’re going to get a chance to do whatever they want to do with their lives. They’ve worked very hard.”

New Pair of Golf Shoes

Shively, who missed a golf tournament in Concord Monday because of his prize, said one of his first purchases may be a new pair of golf shoes. He said he and his wife, a free-lance writer, may travel to Scotland and Ireland on the money.

“I don’t plan any major changes for at least a year,” he said. “I’m going to sit and let it sink in before deciding exactly what I’m going to do with the money.”

He said his children will inherit whatever he and his wife can’t spend. “They will reap some of the benefits. There’s no way I’m going to spend $9 million in 20 years.”