Alex Snelius' favorite Chicago White Sox player is Paul Konerko -- though that slugger has cost Snelius a lot of money. And though Snelius appreciates the subtler aspects of the Sox offense, he relishes the home runs -- al-though he shells out $100 per round-tripper.

"The more the merrier. I love it," he said.

At age 68, Snelius is one of the Sox's home run kings. For the last five seasons, Snelius has donated $100 to White Sox Charities for each home run hit by a South Sider. For the first four seasons, he gave along with his wife, a more devoted Sox fan than even he. But this season's donations, as Sox broadcasters have noted, have been "in loving memory of Ursula," who died last November at age 69.

Through the end of the 2005 regular season -- when the Sox hit 200 homers -- Snelius donated a total of $109,300 to White Sox Charities, a philanthropy supporting cancer research, youth sports and other services for families and communities. He said he will donate for every Sox dinger in the postseason.

"How wrong could it be -- the team you love, to give to their charities?" said Snelius, a native of Lithuania who immigrated to this country as a teen. "In return, just to hear your name, Hawk [Harrelson] announcing your name. To me it's as much a thrill as going on a trip around the world. "

Snelius had owned truck repair and leasing businesses. He was retired and living in Burbank when, in September 2000, he won $64 million in the Big Game lottery, taking a lump-sum payout of $18 million.

He and his wife bought homes for themselves, their four children and other relatives in Palos Heights -- including a Graceland look-alike built for his daughter, an adoring Elvis fan like her mother. But the devout couple considered their windfall a blessing that should be shared with their church and other good causes, including those supported by their favorite baseball team.

Not long after their lottery win, the Sneliuses contacted Christine O'Reilly, the Sox's senior director for community relations. At the time, she said, only Sox radio and TV advertisers had donated money based on a game statistic -- every double play, save or win, for example. It was decided the Sneliuses would do the same, but with the game stat they favored.

"They loved the fireworks [at U.S. Cellular Field] after the homers," O'Reilly said.

Snelius had Sox season tickets in a prime location, but he didn't renew them after his wife died. O'Reilly said the Sox invited him to the park, but he didn't take up the offer until the latter part of the season.

"It was difficult for him being there" without his wife, O'Reilly said.

"This year, I only went to two games because of my wife, and I had a hard time the two games. The first one was real bad. The second one was better," he said. "I have the playoff tickets, so I'm not going to miss the rest of them.

"You know, one place I can find my wife is in the outfield. She is the angel in the outfield to me. Everybody that I talk to and people I know keep talking about, `You know the reason they are winning is because your wife is out there.' Who knows? Only God knows that."

Expansion: On Sunday, Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies is to hold a groundbreaking ceremony for a 155,000-square-foot building just north of its home at 618 S. Michigan Ave. in Chicago. Scheduled for completion in summer 2007, the building is to include classrooms, galleries, a library and theater.

A benefit dinner is to follow the ceremony. Spertus said it has raised more than $42 million of the $55 million it is seeking to construct, endow and operate the new structure.

Kudos: Barbara Bowman, a co-founder of the Erikson Institute in Chicago, was one of the three winners of the $25,000 Harold McGraw Jr. Prize in Education, given to leaders in early education and teacher professional development. The prize is given by McGraw-Hill Cos.

Chicago-based Metropolitan Family Services recently honored Microsoft Corp. for the firm's donation earlier this year of about $491,000 in software.

People: Young Chicago Authors, a literary arts organization for teens, names as its co-executive directors Shinae Yoon and Eva Olsgard. They succeed founding director Robert Boone, who becomes board chairman. ... Barbara Kemmis, former vice president of library services for Donors Forum of Chicago, joins Chicago-based American Theological Library Association as director of member services.

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cstorch@tribune.com