That's appropriate, Lockyer said, "because there's a lesson to be learned here about what it means to have a sense of shared sacrifice and commitment to the common good."
Ferguson was 26 and living in a run-down, $25-a-week West Los Angeles motel when he collected state aid. Officials of the state Employment Development Department estimate that his total benefits during the four months totaled about $1,100.
Ferguson said he wanted to show his appreciation for the assistance by adding "interest" to his repayment. He said he picked $10,000 because it is a "nice round number."
"Anyone who is helped out when they are down ought to give something back, especially now that California has budget problems," he told state officials.
The jobless benefits helped him go back to school, Ferguson said. He enrolled in computer programming at the now-defunct International Tabulating Institute in Los Angeles.
According to Ferguson, the school had one IBM 1440 series computer with 4K of memory that was shared by 10 students. That room-size data processor sold for $90,000 at the time.
But Ferguson learned programming on it, creating 21 programs during the three-month class. He earned an A grade and a certificate of completion.
After that, Ferguson went to work as a computer operator for Belmont Savings and Loan in Seal Beach. A year later, he landed a better-paying job as a programmer at Honeywell in Los Angeles.
Later, Ferguson worked in the Atlanta area before settling in South Carolina.
In the note to Sacramento officials that accompanied his check, Ferguson thanked the state for letting him collect unemployment while studying at the storefront computer institute.
"This allowed me to have a great career, and I've been ever thankful," he wrote.
Tom Dresslar, a spokesman for the state treasurer's office, said Thursday that Ferguson's check cleared and has been deposited in the public schools fund.
In a statement, Lockyer expressed his appreciation of Ferguson's gift.
"I hope that as we work together to meet our budget challenges, we keep in mind his act of generosity and the spirit it embodies," he said.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-unemployment-check-20101217,0,4277215.story
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Here's an update, an EDITORIAL from the Los Angeles Times:
The Dennis Ferguson example
What we might learn from a man who sent California $10,000 to cover jobless aid he got in 1964.
EDITORIAL
December 18, 2010
Dennis R. Ferguson is an overnight media celebrity because he did something that almost no one else would consider: He paid the government back for services it had provided him.
Ferguson, 74, doesn't live in California anymore, yet he sent the Golden State a check for $10,000 to repay it, with interest, for the four months of unemployment benefits he received after losing his job at L.A.'s Douglas Aircraft in 1964. He used that time to learn computer programming and get another job.
Two things about Ferguson's story spring to mind as Congress extends federal unemployment benefits and California lawmakers prepare for the painful process of trying to balance the state's budget.
First: Way to go, Dennis — retraining for a new career and finding a job in just four months is an impressive feat. But that was easier to accomplish in 1964 than in 2010. Today, job openings are so scarce that such a quick turnaround is vanishingly rare, which is why extending the federal benefits (which kick in after state contributions end, usually after 26 weeks) was so important.
Second: Wouldn't it be great if more people were so willing to give back? Incoming Gov. Jerry Brown, who promised not to raise taxes without a public vote, will probably call for a revenue-raising initiative, because the budget hole is so deep that it can't be filled with cuts alone without devastating consequences for schools, public safety and other services. Voters consistently say they want these services, but they're equally consistent about not wanting to pay for them. Next year, when confronted with the choice, we hope they'll keep Ferguson in mind.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-gift-20101218,0,6845811,print.story | 
