CAPE DOCTOR MAKES ANNUAL RIVER SWIM

Dr. Fred E. Rawlins has been swimming the Mississippi River for more than 65 years.

"It's not too tough," said the 83-year-old Cape Girardean Saturday after swimming the mile-plus distance from a sandbar in Illinois to the Missouri side of the river. "I could probably do it again right now."

The obstetrician and gynecologist, who still keeps office hours three days a week at 217 N. Sprigg, started his Saturday swim from a sandbar in Illinois, upriver from the Honker's Boat Dock at Cape Girardeau.

He finished about halfway between Honker's Boat Dock and the Broadway entrance in downtown Cape Girardeau.

He was accompanied on the swim by two friends who followed in a boat -- Judy Penrod and Carolyn Miller.

Rawlins had some slow going against the current when he first started Saturday, but the water was warm and once he passed the half-way mark, he splashed to the finish, with an overall time of about a 30 minutes.

The swim marked the second time in as many weeks that Rawlins had crossed the Mississippi.

"I hadn't planned on swimming the river a week ago," he said. "The opportunity came along. I met a couple with a boat, and they took me to the sandbar."

Rawlins' first swim across the Mississippi came in 1933 when he was 17.

Why the decision to swim the Mississippi River in the first place?

"When you're 17, you don't think about the danger," he said. "The river was here, and I just wondered if I could do it."

Now, Rawlings is accompanied by someone with a boat."

"You have to have someone to point the way, unless you swim early or late in the day," he said. "You can lose your direction unless you're watching the sun."

He started his Saturday swim about 1:30 p.m.

On his first river swim, there was no one following him. All he took with him was two dimes in his swimming suit, to pay the bridge toll to get back across the river.

An eight-year stretch from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s, when he attended medical school and completed his residency training in St. Louis was the only period he missed his annual swim.

Ten years ago, Rawlins said it would be interesting to see if he could continue his annual swims until he was 80.

At 83, he's still swimming the river. And, "as long as the Lord is willing and the river don't rise," I'll continue doing it," he said.

The annual dip in the river isn't Rawlins' only swimming accomplishment.

He particpated in the St. Louis Senior Olympics in 1990, claiming a gold medal in the 500-yard freestyle in the men's 70-74 age division.

He also participated in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle events, finishing third and fourth respectively in the two events. Rawlins later participated at the National Olympics in a number of events, with his best finish a sixth place in the 400-meter race.

In past years, Rawlins has swum further distances in the Mississippi River -- 10 miles to Thebes, Ill., his native town, and 20 miles to Commerce.

He even had plans to swim to Cairo, Ill. at one time.

"But, that's a distance of more than 35 miles," he said. "You're talking about a lot of hours in the water, even with a good downriver current. I decided not to try it."

Rawlins said that at one time, he would have liked to swim in all the major rivers in the United States.

"But when you're working for a living, you just don't get around very much," he said.