Skip navigation

Waitress gets $50,000, car from cranky Texan

‘I still can't believe it,’ Luby's cafeteria worker says of bequest

Video: Wonderful World
Cheetah triplets debut in Tokyo
  Nov. 24: Thousands of visitors are flocking to the Tokyo Zoo to watch three cheetah cubs romp around their new home. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown has the story.

  Your turn!
Inspirational athletes
In honor of the 2008 Olympics, we're celebrating the athletes in your own life who inspire greatness.
updated 9:37 p.m. ET Dec. 28, 2007

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - For nearly seven years Melina Salazar did her best to put on a smile and tend to the every need of her most loyal and cantankerous customer.

She made sure his food was as hot as he wanted, even if it meant he burned his mouth. And she smiled through his demands and curses. The 89-year-old Walter "Buck" Swords obviously appreciated it, leaving the waitress $50,000 and a 2000 Buick when he died.

"I still can't believe it," the Luby's cafeteria employee told Harlingen television station KGBT-TV in an interview during which she described Swords as "kind of mean."

Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here

Swords, a World War II veteran, died in July. But Salazar learned just a few days before Christmas that he had left her the money and car.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sponsored LinksGet listed here
Online College Courses
Boost your career with an online Degree. Pick from Leading Colleges!
www.EarnMyDegree.com

Sponsored links

Resource guide