Just The (Last-Minute) Ticket -- $6 Million Lotto Winner Was Reluctant To Make His Claim

Wallace Quammen is Washington's newest - if not most reluctant - millionaire.

For six months, Quammen patiently held onto the winning lottery ticket from the Nov. 1 drawing, a slip of paper worth a whopping $6 million.

He and his wife even seriously considered not claiming the prize. After all, the retired Boeing engineer says they don't need the money; they have invested successfully, live comfortably and travel regularly.

But yesterday afternoon Quammen decided he would claim his winnings - so he could give most of it away, to his church, charities and the needy.

And not a moment too soon.

Just 90 minutes before the 5 p.m. deadline to claim the prize, Quammen, 71, walked into the Washington State Lottery offices in Seattle and picked up the first of 20 annual checks. After taxes, he will receive $216,000 a year.

At a news conference Quammen would have rather skipped, he explained that he and his wife, Mona, had talked and debated about letting yesterday's deadline pass without turning in the ticket.

"I want to give most of it, probably three-quarters of it, away. I wish I could just say `no comment' about this. We wanted to be anonymous."

In deciding to collect his winnings, Quammen had considered the needs of the Lutheran Ministries, to which he already contributes. "We fund the chaplains that go to rest homes. . . . The chaplain is the only contact they have for spiritual needs.

"That is what triggered my coming down here," said the North Seattle resident. "I am not much on gambling, and I don't like all this publicity."

Displaying a lack of excitement, Quammen softly answered reporters' questions, admitting even the couple's four grown children had not yet been told of their new fortune.

Quammen purchased the winning ticket with computer-selected numbers at an Aurora Avenue North supermarket only hours before the Nov. 1 drawing. Later that night, he saw the winning six-number combination on television.

His wife had already gone to bed. Rather than wake her, Quammen waited until morning to deliver the $6 million news.

Quammen said he plays the lottery strictly for fun.

Many of the beneficiaries of Quammen's win will be churches and charities to which the couple already contribute, including his alma mater, Montana State University.

With what's left, the Quammens may replace his wife's 6-year-old sedan, and may take a few longer trips. But that's about the limit, he said.