Athletes do care -- and remember

One of the first stories about Rush Limbaugh, born Jan. 12, 1951, in the Southeast Missourian (not counting birth announcement or class field trips) was an Aug. 11, 1965, article that focused on his friendship with Los Angeles Dodger Maury Willis: "Rusty Finds Wills A Star Off Diamond."

The article recounted how "Rusty" Limbaugh, starting as a 9-year old, became regular pen pals with -- and then in 1965 met -- the Dodger great.

A few years later, on May 13, 1971, a follow-up story about their relationship appeared.

Athletes do care -- and remember

May 13, 1971

Professional athletes do care ... and, remember.

A friendship initiated a decade ago between a Cape Central High School freshman and Los Angeles baseball star Maury Wills via the use of the U.S. mail was recently renewed in Pittsburgh when Rush ("Rusty") Limbaugh III met the now veteran major leaguer for a lunch, a tour of a children's ward in a hospital and night on the town.

It was in 1960 that Rusty, then 9 years of age, started writing the Dodger star. It was the first full season for Wills in the majors after having played on the Spokane minor league team in 1959.

The Dodger rookie answered, and in 1965, they met one weekend when the Dodgers were playing the St. Louis Cardinals.

"I was not really old enough to appreciate the full meaning of what happened then," says Rusty, now 19 and a disc jockey at WIXZ Radio in Pittsburgh. "But, looking back, I now realize how fortunate I was."

During a recent Dodger-Pirate series in Pittsburg, young Limbaugh decided to give Wills a call.

"I was in for a big surprise," said Rusty. "After explaining myself to him (Wills), he not only remembered me, but my father. All from that one short weekend six years ago."

"As it turned out, I had lunch with him two days, and on the third day went out after the game, along with Wes Parker," said Rusty.

When Rusty met Wills six years ago, a story appeared in the Southeast Missourian about the growing friendship, with a final sentence of the article stating: "Above all, Wills has shown that athletes do care."

"That's one of the primary reasons for my writing this letter," noted Rusty. "I remember that last line of the article, and I would like to reinforce that statement at this time. Last Tuesday, I received a call from a nurse at Presbyterian University Hospital, asking me to come give a morale boost to a 20-year-old girl who had just undergone surgery."

"I had an idea, more like a brainstorm at this point, though. I called Maury and explained the situation to him and asked if he would go along. I was surprised, but he said he would be more than happy to accompany me.

"He brought a box of baseballs with him and after visiting the girl, we went to the children's ward, where he signed the baseballs and gave them to the kids. I've never seen such excitement among children as I saw that afternoon.

"This took about four hours of Wills' time on this particular afternoon, but he was all smiles the entire time. I'm sure he was about as excited as the kids. Maury went back to the hospital that night, after the game, to take the 20-year old girl an autographed picture, which he had promised that afternoon."

Wills went 0-for-4 during the game, but "he said he really didn't mind that too much," commented Rusty. "The Dodgers had won the game, and he had made a lot of people happy that afternoon."

So, athletes do care, and as the 1965 article states: "Wills has shown this," on more occasions than one.