Saturday, February 28, 2009

Paul Harvey

















President Bush awards radio commentator Paul Harvey, the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2005, in Washington. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation's highest civilian award, and recognizes exceptional meritorious service.(AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)


My first job was at a radio station in my home town.

We were an ABC Radio affiliate. News every hour on the half-hour on the AM station, and every hour on the hour on the FM side.

But both the AM and FM stations carried Paul Harvey.

Paul Harvey was always popular with the older audience. But, in a small, south Georgia town, he was popular with most folks. A teenage me included.

His 5-minute "News and Comments" at 8:30 every morning was a staple. As was the quarter-hour version at 12:30.

But many people's favorite was "The Rest of the Story."

I remember when "The Rest of the Story" began. The first episode was about a little boy named Leslie Lynch King. The rest of the staff listened intently, following along, not knowing what to expect; after all, it was the first episode.

Of course, the little boy took his adopted father's name, and eventually became President Gerald Rudolph Ford. The radio station staff was fascinated, and was hooked from that episode forward.

I knew President Ford's birth name, so the surprise ending was no surprise, but the program was still well-done. I was hooked, too.

And that was the thing about Paul Harvey. It wasn't what he said. It was how he said it.

And no one said it better.

Paul Harvey died today.

I'm going to miss his broadcasts. I'm going to miss his comments. I'm going to miss his sense of humor. I'm going to miss "The Rest of the Story."

Most of all, I'm going to miss hearing "Paul Harvey ... good day!"

1 comment:

  1. Paul Harvey was a breath of fresh air every day around noon. I loved his 'Rest of the Story'. But his way of just telling the story was a Harvey thing. Nobody else will ever be able to replace him. He definitely will be missed. My husband heard his last time on air and said it sounded as though he had a stroke.

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