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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 25, 2005 Jackpot winners’ son ‘too excited to study’ By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune The 18-year-old son of Medford’s reported $340 million lottery winners missed a college midterm as he grappled with the shock of his family’s sudden fortune. Curtis West, a freshman at Oregon State University in Corvallis, was too excited to study or to sleep after learning last week that his parents, Steve and Carolyn West, likely won the record Powerball jackpot. "I ended up not getting any sleep and when I did finally fall asleep I slept through my exam," Curtis West wrote in a Sunday e-mail to the Mail Tribune. "Everyone is really excited and I am as well, but it has just happened too quickly and I’m having kind of a hard time adjusting to the fact that my life is going to be different from the future jobs that I have to the people that I meet in my average daily life." The young man’s comments came amid silence from the rest of his family. Steve West, 48, a self-employed landscaper, has said he’ll talk about his intentions today, after meeting with a financial planner. Advertisement Even Oregon Lottery officials hadn’t heard from West, who has yet to confirm that he has Wednesday’s winning ticket. Chuck Baumann, spokesman for the Lottery, took the unusual step of contacting West Monday morning. "I invoked the $340 million rule for calling winners before they called in," said Baumann, who apparently caught West on his way to work. Baumann said he also was calling to check out media rumors that the winning ticket was bought by a 17-year-old — which would be a violation of Oregon law. Lottery players must be 18. If that were true, it would have triggered an investigation of the retailer, believed to be Ray’s Food Place in Jacksonville. "I don't think it would have jeopardized the prize," Baumann said. In any case, Steve West said the ticket was purchased by an adult — although he didn’t say who. And Randy Lewis, manager of Ray’s, said his store checks the identification of all questionable players. "We don’t sell to minors," Lewis said. West plans to validate his winnings in Salem later this week, Baumann said. Meanwhile, Curtis West, reportedly one of the family’s four children, is back at school, cracking the books. An honor student who graduated from North Medford High School in June, the OSU liberal arts major said he’s slowly coming to terms with the jackpot. "The whole thing just feels very surreal to me because this kind of thing doesn’t happen to people you know, much less yourself or your family," he wrote. "We are all just very excited about the future that lies ahead of us." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail Jackpot winners� son �too excited to study� ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s