美国保安一生清贫 死后捐款600万刀

A Vermont man who during his lifetime foraged for wood and held down jobs as a janitor and at a filling station, has left his local hospital and library $6million (£3.95 million).

美国佛蒙特州一位老人的一生非常普通，曾在加油站工作过，后来又在商场做看门人，可他去世后遗产竟达到600万美元，而且还把这些钱全部捐给了当地的医院和图书馆。

The bequest from Ronald Read, who died last June, aged 92 has stunned residents of Brattleboro, Vermont.

这位老人名叫罗纳德·里德，他于去年6月份去世，享年92岁，他的这份巨额遗产让佛蒙特州布拉特尔伯勒市的居民们震惊不已。

Little did they know that the man whose clothes were held together by safety pins was a remarkably adroit stock market investor.

大家只知道他是个着装普通、生活节俭的人，却不知道他其实是个股票投资高手。

Rather than a sharp suit he usually sported the traditional New England attire of a flannel shirt and baseball cap.

罗纳德不像其他的投资人一样经常西装革履，他平时总是身穿格子衬衫、头戴棒球帽。

He drove an old Toyota Yaris which he would leave away from the centre of town rather than pay to park.

他开着一辆老式丰田雅力士，为了省下停车费还总是将车停在离市中心很远的地方。

Mr Read’s frugality was legendary. One woman knitted him a hat to help him get through the ferocious New England winters.

罗纳德的节俭是出了名的。曾有一位女士给他织了顶帽子才帮他度过了新英格兰的严冬。

She even bought some old fence wiring from him, because she thought he could do with the money.

这位女士甚至还向他买过一些旧的围栏线，因为她觉得他需要钱。

But life had always been tough for Mr Read, who was a widower after his wife died in 1970.

事实上，罗纳德生活确实一直比较艰难，他的妻子于1970年过世。

As a child he walked four miles each way to school and then after his military service in North Africa, Italy and the Pacific, he worked at a filling station for 25 years and then spent another 17 as a janitor at a branch of J.C Penney, a department store.

小的时候，罗纳德每次都要步行四英里才能到学校，之后他曾在北非、意大利、太平洋等地区服兵役，他曾在一家加油站工作了25年，之后在一家商场里做了17年的看门人。

The only hint that there might have been a bit more to Mr Read than met the eye was that his chosen newspaper was the Wall Street Journal.

唯一能够让人会觉得他和股票投资有关系的地方就是他常看《华尔街日报》。

According to Laurie Rowell, the lawyer administering his estate, his fortune grew steadily thanks to his shrewd stock market strategy.

据罗纳德的遗产管理律师劳里·罗厄尔说，罗纳德生前所做的投资大幅升值，所以他的资产不断上升。

"He had two lifelong hobbies: investing and cutting wood," she added.

劳里说：“他一生最大的爱好有两个：投资和砍柴。”

Philip Brown, Mr Read’s stepson, knew nothing of his wealth.

罗纳德的继子菲利普·布朗对于罗纳德的巨额财富完全不知情。

“I was tremendously surprised,'’ he said. “He was a hard worker, but I don't think anybody had an idea that he was a multi-millionaire.’’

“我非常惊讶。”他说，“他工作很努力，但我想估计没人会想到他其实是个百万富翁。”

The bequests of $4.8 million to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and $1.2 million to the town’s library are the largest both institutions have ever had.

在罗纳德600万美元的遗产中，他将480万美元捐给了伯瑞特波罗纪念医院，另外120万美元捐给了当地的图书馆。这两笔捐款是两家机构迄今为止收到过的数额最大的捐款。