CAPE LAWYER ACTIVE IN 103

Rush H. Limbaugh's hands and face are wrinkled by time. His eyesight is poor.

But at 103, the Cape Girardeau lawyer still has a firm grip on life.

Limbaugh will turn 104 Wednesday, adding to what is already a life filled with superlatives.

He is the oldest practicing lawyer in the nation, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

But you won't find him listed in the records; a modest man, Limbaugh feels uncomfortable with such recognition.

"I am not boasting about it," said Limbaugh, who doesn't drink or smoke.

A representative of the Guiness Book called a few months ago to inquire about adding Limbaugh's name to the record book. Limbaugh said no.

Limbaugh has been practicing law in Cape Girardeau for 79 years. He was admitted to the Missouri Bar on July 3, 1916.

In 1946, he founded the law firm that still bears his name.

Limbaugh still goes into the office about twice a week, usually from about 2-4 p.m., handling a few legal matters for some of his old clients.

Limbaugh has no plans to retire, not even at 104.

"I want to come into the office as long as I am able to come," he said one day last week.

Dressed in a dark blue suit and a brightly colored tie, Limbaugh reflected on his legal career.

Limbaugh, who grew up on a Bollinger County farm, said he wanted to be a lawyer from the time he was 10.

His love of the law has become a family legacy, passed on to two sons and two grandsons.

Rush H. Limbaugh Jr., a son, once practiced law with him. He died in 1990 at age 72.

Another son, Stephen N. Limbaugh Sr., is a federal judge in St. Louis.

A grandson, Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr., is a Missouri Supreme Court judge.

Another grandson, David Limbaugh, is a lawyer in the elder Limbaugh's firm: Limbaugh, Russell, Payne and Howard.

Grandson Rush H. Limbaugh III has become a national celebrity, hosting radio-talk and television shows.

Rush H. Limbaugh's wife, Bee, died in 1977.

Limbaugh no longer drives. A personal assistant chauffeurs him to and from the office. He has round-the-clock care at home.

Limbaugh doesn't complain about his health. "I feel exceptionally good," he said.

He still shakes hands with the firmness of a much younger man.

Limbaugh never graduated law school. He passed the bar examination after two years of law school at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

"I had no money. I had to get out and make money," he explained.

Limbaugh paid $50 to a Cape Girardeau law firm to let him practice law in the summer of 1916. In those days, lawyers didn't bill by hours.

He said he first learned of lawyers charging on the basis of time when he was involved in a case in Houston, Texas. He assisted a law firm that charged by the day.

Limbaugh served as Cape Girardeau's city attorney from June 1917 to May 1919.

He served for four months as Cape Girardeau County prosecutor when that officeholder left for military service during World War II.

In his career, Limbaugh has handled everything from probate cases to criminal trials. He was a defense lawyer in four murder cases.

Limbaugh still vividly remembers one case. He defended a woman who shot and killed her abusive husband.

The husband would come home drunk and then beat his wife.

The woman warned him that she wouldn't take it anymore. She said she would kill him if he attacked her again.

"She shot him at night when he came home drunk," Limbaugh recalled.

The jury acquitted her.

After all these years, Limbaugh's passion for the law hasn't faded. It is his constant companion.