BY JOHN JOHNSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer

This story appeared in the Jan. 10, 1992 Enquirer. Eleven of the winners gathered in their real estate office for the photo. | ZOOM |

On Jan. 8, 1992, a dozen workers in a Fort Thomas real estate office got some incredible news: They'd won the $28 million Lotto Kentucky jackpot.

The winnings were divvied up 11 ways. (Two people co-owned a ticket.) Each share was worth $127,000 annually - $86,000 after taxes - for 20 years.

Not a bad return on the $5 that each of the 11 had pooled for tickets. They allowed a lottery machine to choose their winning numbers - 9, 15, 38, 43, 46, 47.

In the heady hours after hitting the jackpot, Gary Barlow, a co-owner of the realty firm, said he would keep the office open; the other winners indicated they would continue to work.

Now, six years later, Tempo wondered: What happened to the winners? Did regular lottery checks change them?

All still live in the area. Six agreed to be interviewed, but only two would be photographed. (Another agreed to a photo, then later backed out.)

Four - Marcia Barbian, Paul McIntosh, Paul Kruse and Vivian Reda - declined interviews, saying they'd had enough publicity. Greg Adams did not return calls.

. . .

Gary Barlow, 54, says he never considered quitting his job. Not with three children about to enter college.

All three are now in school: Brandon attends the University of Louisville, Rob is at Northern Kentucky University, and Burke is pursuing a master's at the University of North Dakota, where he played on the basketball team. Thanks to the lottery winnings, Mr. Barlow was able to fly to Burke's home games in Grand Forks.

About four years ago Mr. Barlow and his partner, Matt Franck, sold Barlow-Franck Realtors to Jim Huff Realty. Since then, Mr. Barlow has managed Huff Realty's Campbell County operation.

Many of the people who were working for Mr. Barlow before he won the lottery are still with him. They include lottery winners Tom Owens, George Roller, Paul Kruse, Paul McIntosh and Greg Adams.

Mr. Barlow, who was engaged before he won the lottery, got married on a boat on Lake Mead near Las Vegas. His wife, Diana, is a successful real estate agent. They bought a 28-acre farm with a 6-acre lake in Claryville. The property had been in his wife's family.

Winning the lottery - he still plays regularly - has had many more positives than negatives, Mr. Barlow says. ''People sometimes expect you to do things you can't do. They remember the $28 million, so they think you can just buy this, pay for that. (But) It's not a major problem by any stretch of the imagination.''

. . .

George Roller, 48, was showing property two hours after he got his first lottery check.

''I'm still showing property,'' the Realtor says after a 9ï-hour work day.

Today, he lives in the same Fort Thomas house (it was built the year before he won the lottery); has the same boss (Gary Barlow, another lottery winner); drives the same 1990 Delta 88; plays softball with the same guys . . . you get the idea.

''I did splurge. I bought a sports car - a 1986 300ZX - for $5,000. I've been driving that off and on for three years.''

The best thing about winning the lottery is the security it provides, he says.

Most of his real estate clients know he's a lottery winner. That has cost him some business; some potential clients avoid him because they assume he doesn't need the money and won't work for them.

On the other hand, he says some clients like having a Realtor who isn't living paycheck to paycheck because they don't have to worry about being pressured to buy.

These days, he spends about $10 a week on lottery tickets.

''A lot of clients want to (buy tickets) with me. It's like, hey, let's hope that lightning strikes twice.''

Five years ago, he told a reporter he would like to retire in 10 years. Does he still plan to?

''I doubt it. I may cut back some, but I doubt if I'll ever retire from real estate because I really enjoy the job.

''You looking for a home?''

. . .

A year after she won, Doris Brooks, 43, quit her job as a Realtor. Her family needed her.

First, she cared for her ill mother, who has since died of cancer. Then, several family emergencies caused her and her husband, Vic, to open their home to others.

''At one point we had five kids living here - nieces and nephews,'' she says. One of the five was the Brooks' only child, a daughter who is now engaged.

''It doesn't put us in any kind of a bind, and it's just so great to be able to be there for them. I think this was why we won.''

They still care for a 13-year-old nephew, whose parents are deceased. He has lived with them since June 1996.

Some of the winnings paid for an addition to their Camp Springs home, and the installation of an in-ground swimming pool.

Ms. Brooks also has found a hobby. ''I love the golf course,'' she says. She started playing before she won the lottery, but didn't get serious about it until two years ago. She shoots in the high 40s. And every week, she plays the lottery with three friends. Their contribution: $2 each.

. . .

Matt Franck, 65, received a new set of golf clubs when he retired, but he hasn't used them yet.

He keeps busy in his church, and the Mentor resident serves on the board of Holly Hill Children's Home in Campbell County. He and his wife, Shirley, enjoy spending time with their three grandchildren (for whom they have set up college funds).

Mr. Franck, 65, retired in December 1993, when Barlow-Franck Realty was sold to Jim Huff Realty.

The lottery winnings are a nice safety net, he says. ''My house is recession-proof, and I really don't have to worry about retirement. I think that's been the difference, you really don't have as many worries.

''My wife and I have never been big spenders. We always watched our money and we still continue to do it.''

. . .

Don Michael, 60, of Cold Spring was fortunate to win the lottery, but since then he's had his share of bad luck.

In the past three years, his wife, Donna, has suffered a slight stroke, and Mr. Michael has had two heart attacks. After the second attack, a stent - a stainless steel mesh tube - was inserted into an artery to keep it from collapsing.

A Realtor, he stopped working about two years ago because of his health.

''We're doing OK now,'' Mr. Michael says. ''We do a little traveling, go down and see our granddaughter in Florida.''

The Michaels helped put her through college. They also bought a 100-acre farm in Bracken County for their son.

Don and Donna, meanwhile, live in the same house they bought in 1982. ''Really, there haven't been any big changes in our life,'' says Mr. Michael, who still occasionally plays the lottery.

. . .

For Tom and Ann Owens, winning the lottery wasn't the most momentous thing in their lives. Having a baby was.

Austin Owens was born 2ï years ago.

''We both get to spend lots of time with our son, which I think is one of the real benefits (of winning),'' says Mr. Owens, 33, of Fort Thomas.

Six years ago, Mrs. Owens was Ann Dugan. She was not only Mr. Owens' assistant in the Barlow-Franck office, but his girlfriend. They shared the winning ticket. And they married in January 1993.

She is now a stay-at-home mother. Mr. Owens still sells real estate, but his priority is his son.

''Being able to interact with your kid on a daily basis . . . it's just awesome,'' he says.

The family enjoys taking vacations. Myrtle Beach is a favorite spot. And last summer, Mr. Owens took his father fly fishing in Montana. Mr. Owens occasionally buys lottery tickets, but says he's more likely these days to take the money he used to spend on tickets and invest it. ''It's a guaranteed win,'' he says.