(Louisville, Kentucky) Jan. 12, 2006 - Benedict College gets a big financial boost, courtesy of a Kentucky lottery winner who knows the South Carolina school quite well.
Charlie Johnson is a highly successful business owner in Louisville, Kentucky. He is president and CEO of C.W. Johnson Xpress, one of the premier transportation companies in North America.
But at Benedict College, they know Johnson as the board of trustees chair, and the donor who paid for scholarships, provided buses for the football team, and threw in the first million dollars to build the school's new stadium complex.
Now, add one more title to Johnson's resume. He is a winner in the Kentucky Powerball Lottery.
When Benedict's president David Swinton first learned Johnson's plan, he couldn't believe it, "He said, 'Guess what? I won the lottery and I want to give it to the college."
But Johnson puts it simply, "I bought the lottery ticket for Benedict College and the ticket came through for $200,000."
And Wednesday in Louisville, Johnson turned the prize money over to Benedict president Dr. David Swinton. The check presented to the school was written for $200,003.
During a news conference, Swinton indicated the money would be used to help complete the stadium. It's still under construction on a site near Two Notch Road in Columbia. The stadium will have a capacity of 10,000 spectators and will be finished in November. The project will soon bear Johnson's name.
Johnson has a professional football background. He played defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers before being traded to the Baltimore Colts. He has a Super Bowl ring. Johnson played for the Colts at the time of Super Bowl V, which ended with a 16-13 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Updated 12:22am by Chantelle Janelle
Source: WIS-TV
