Norvell Emerson: “later this year, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, will open a new United States Federal Courthouse. Over the past many months…”

“later this year, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, will open a new United States Federal Courthouse. Over the past many months, I have watched this structure rise, due to the diligent efforts of hundreds of skilled men and women working tirelessly to give justice a new home in our region. I am certainly thankful for their beautiful accomplishment, in the form of our new Courthouse. At the same time, we should reflect on the people who dedicated their lives to the construction of a strong, vibrant and enduring rule of law in our region and our Nation. Rush Hudson Limbaugh, Sr. perfectly embodies our respect for the law and love for our communities. His practice of law for more than 80 years, from 1916 to 1996, is the stuff of legends. At the age of his death, the 104-year-old resident of Cape Girardeau was still going in to his office twice a week. He was the Nation's oldest practicing attorney. The litany of legal accomplishments of Rush Hudson Limbaugh, Sr. cloud our memory of the man. He helped construct the Missouri Probate Code and begin the Missouri Highway Patrol. He was sent to India to help shape the new legal code in that fledgling democracy. He advocated for the reach of the federal judiciary to extend outside American urban centers and into the rural parts of our great Nation. Yet he was more than an attorney--Rush Hudson Limbaugh, Sr. was also devoted to his family, his faith, and his community. He taught Sunday School.”