Stephen Limbaugh Jr. receives Rush H. Limbaugh, Sr. Rotarian of the Year Award

Stephen Limbaugh Jr. received the highest internal recognition in the Rotary Club, an award that also happens to be named after his grandfather.

Limbaugh Jr. became the 32nd member of the Rotary Club of Cape Girardeau to receive the Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. Rotarian of the Year Award on Monday, July 12, 2021.

Abbie Crites-Leoni, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri, said the award is given out each year at the installation banquet in recognition of one member's devotion to the club.

Limbaugh has been a member of the Rotary Club for more than 40 years, Crites-Leoni said, but his efforts in the Rotary Club these past few years are what made him stand out for the award.

"President John Niswonger chose Steve as the recipient for the award this year due to his tremendous service in the planning of our Centennial celebrations in 2019," Crites-Leoni said. "He was instrumental in gathering and documenting our club's 100-year-history and recruiting a member of the club to lead an effort to plant 100 trees in the community."

One tree was planted on Southeast Missouri State University's Main Campus in Cape Girardeau as a "gift to the university commemorating 100 years of dedicated and selfless service to Rotary by the university's faculty, administration and alumni," Crites-Leoni said, which included a plaque recognizing "more than 50 university personnel who have held membership in Rotary," and a dedication ceremony April 5, 2019.

Crites-Leoni said Limbaugh Jr. also helped secure the International President of Rotary to be the keynote speaker for one of the club's events.

"When [Limbaugh Jr.] accepted the award, he noted that 'just as he faithfully attends church, Rotary will always be an important part of his life," Crites-Leoni said.

Rush H. Limbaugh Sr., who died in 1996 at age 104, was the first to receive the award back in 1989 for being "a longtime Rotarian who valued his club associations as much as any of his achievements in the legal profession," Crites-Leoni said.

The Rotary Club of Cape Girardeau, district 6060, meets every Monday at noon at the Isle Casino in Cape Girardeau, located at 777 N. Main Street. For more information on the club, visit capegirardeau.rotary-clubs.org/.