The story behind those fabulous prizes

Want the scoopon Publishers Clearinghouse? Does anybody ever really win those contests-especially if they don't buy a truckload of magazines? "People do win, and you don't have to buy magazines to win Publishers Clearinghouse," says Theresa Avery-Scigaj, B.A., '76 & M.B.A. '79, who worked for five years as manager of financial systems at the company noted for its nationwide million-dollar prize contests. Avery-Scigaj now is manager of human resources information systems at M&T Bank.

Publishers Clearinghouse, located in Port Washington, N.Y., "was an interesting, exciting place at contest time," Avery-Scigaj says. Company personnel were included in the hoopla, she says.

"They'd invite the winners to company headquarters, put them up in a New York City hotel, and they'd drive up in a white limo.

"Everyone in the building would be invited to the large dining room to watch the acceptance ceremony. The president would hand them the check, the winners would give a little speech on what they planned to do with the money, and we'd all applaud," she said.

Picking the winners was "very secret," Avery-Scigaj says. "Very legit-New York State auditors were all over the place. The contest information was under lock and key."