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xiii Acknowledgments Without the help of many people this biography would not have been possible . Foremost of these was former Federal Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Sr., who made available his father’s papers and graciously submitted to several hours of taped interviews. He also answered many queries by phone and email. His son, Federal Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr., who is now the sitting judge at the federal courthouse named for his grandfather, introduced me to family members and others who had known his grandfather, and answered questions as well. I am grateful to Manley and Mary Limbaugh, the son and daughter-in-law of Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. They willingly and candidly answered my questions, adding invaluable insights into Limbaugh’s character and activities. Their son Daniel B. Limbaugh provided the vast majority of the early correspondence between his paternal grandparents during their courtship and also helped me better to understand his grandfather’s attitudes toward the Vietnam War. I especially enjoyed going with him and his father Manley to the Limbaugh farm to see the old family homestead where Rush Limbaugh Sr. was born and raised and where several family members were buried. I am also indebted to Mike Kasten, who leases the Limbaugh farm and showed us where various buildings, cisterns, and other features were located. His insights about the agricultural operations were particularly helpful. A number of other family members agreed to interviews and provided a great deal of insight into Limbaugh’s life and character. His grandson David Limbaugh was especially helpful in better understanding his grandfather’s last years and the details of the final illness of his father Rush H. Limbaugh Jr. The interview of Rush H. Limbaugh III also added important information, in particular concerning the interview of his grandfather on the occasion of his centennial birthday on his radio program. Doreen Dodson, then president of xiv Acknowledgments the Missouri Bar, added other details otherwise unknown concerning Limbaugh ’s activities at the professional conference coinciding with his one hundredth birthday. Another family member, Helen Gillespie, the niece of Rush Limbaugh Sr., recalled for me her time living with the Limbaughs as a college student during World War Two. Very important to learning and comprehending many of the details of Rush Limbaugh Sr.’s activities as a member of the Missouri Commission on Human Rights were the recollections of Lewis A. Akenhead, who in the 1960s worked as a field representative of the commission under Limbaugh’s supervision. Larry Carp, Limbaugh’s fellow commissioner, provided his unique perspective and memories during this time as well. Sherwood and Robert Wise helped in understanding Limbaugh’s activities on the Special Commission on Civil Rights and Racial Unrest upon which their father Sherwood W. Wise was a fellow member. Amy Nickless, then a student at Southeast Missouri State University , made an important contribution to understanding Limbaugh’s intellectual life when she found, catalogued, and made available for reading in the Honors House that part of his library donated to the Honors Program after his death. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention others I interviewed, each contributing important information and insights. They are Harold Whitfield, Lloyd Smith, Glenda Wunderlich, and Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson. The Original Rush Limbaugh ...

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