Feeling Lucky? Get to Know Linda

By Johnny Loftus in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 11, 2009 4:45PM

That isn't us in front of you at the convenience store, holding up the line while muttering specific numeric combinations to the harried counter attendant like a druid who has the economic downturn all figured out. Straight/box, 4-way combos, Pick 3, Pick 4, and any number of those garish quick-play pieces -- it's wishful thinking in our opinion, and we'd rather spend that cash on a personal stimulus package in the form of Hostess Zingers.

And yet, Linda Kollmeyer prevails. Two decades on, the "Lottery Lady" still gets our digits every afternoon and evening on WGN as she calls out the results of the Pick 3 and Pick 4 pulls. And, as this Tribune profile of the former registered nurse and beauty queen makes clear, it's Kollmeyer's distinct brand of pleasantly bent positive reinforcement that keeps us coming back for more.

Actually playing the lottery can seem like a losing proposition, or at the very least a great way to keep everyone behind you waiting. But Kollmeyer? She always has our number.

BY: Johnny Loftus

Photo by pbmikey