After winning a $22 million jackpot, he remembered a promise he made in 1992 — he then split the cash with his friend
We often make promises to many people, probably thinking nothing about it at the time. But Thomas Cook never forgot the one he made to his best friend, Joseph Feeney, nearly three decades ago. In 1992, the two fishing buddies shook hands and agreed that if either of them ever won the Powerball jackpot, they would split the winnings. It started as a simple pact between friends, something they joked about over the years. But in June 2020, Cook bought a ticket at a gas station in Menomonie, Wisconsin. When he checked it, he realized he had just won $22 million. Cook recalled after checking his numbers. "It was quite an experience. When I read the first two or three numbers, I kind of froze," he said, per Wisconsin Lottery.
He passed the ticket to his wife, and she froze as well. Cook immediately picked up the phone and called his friend, Feeney. Feeney couldn't believe it and asked, "Are you jerking my bobber?" "They said whenever the big winner comes, we’re going to split it. So we buy every week," he further told NBC News. Neither of them ever thought it would actually happen. Cook added, "It happened many years ago. It’s just kind of continued. A handshake’s a handshake, man." 30 years later, that handshake paid off in a way neither could have imagined.
The two friends chose to take the cash option instead of annual payments, collecting about $16.7 million. That meant they each took home roughly $5.7 million after federal and state taxes. When asked what they would do with their money, Cook said, "I got grandchildren, great-grandchildren. And I want to just spend time with them. I can’t think of a better way to retire." Cook officially retired from his job, while Feeney had already retired from the fire department. Neither had extravagant plans—they wanted to enjoy life, travel and spend more time with their loved ones.
Cook said, "We can pursue what we feel comfortable with." Wisconsin Lottery Director Cindy Polzin couldn’t help but be amazed. "The power of friendship and a handshake has paid off. I’m thrilled for them—their lucky day has arrived," she said in a statement, per NBC News. Meanwhile, the Menomonie gas station that sold the ticket also got a share of the winnings, receiving a $100,000 bonus for selling the jackpot-winning ticket.
While Cook kept the promise he made to his friend, one man kept a promise he made to himself. In another story, Bernard McKinley, who was sentenced to 100 years in prison for gang-related murder as a teenager, refused to accept that his life was over. Instead, he made himself a promise to change his future, no matter the odds. Determined to educate himself, McKinley earned his GED behind bars, studied law, and even represented himself, successfully reducing his sentence from 100 years to 25 years. While still in prison, McKinley took the LSAT and applied to law school. Two decades later, he got accepted into Northwestern Law School, one of the most prestigious law schools in the U.S. He officially started classes in the fall of 2024 and is on track to graduate in 2027.