Sometimes, I feel like I am an old soul trapped in a young (but rapidly aging) body. Growing up, I always had a fondness for big band and southern gospel, re-runs of old sitcoms and game shows, and most especially Paul Harvey. Since today would have been Paul Harvey’s 99th birthday, I would like to share my thoughts on a great man.
The Rest of the Story
My first exposure to the soft-spoken sage was during the nightly evening news. Did you know this radio star was on TV for a while? We didn’t have cable growing up and in our house, kids didn’t have full control of the remote control, so we usually listened to the network news as we did our homework. Every evening, Paul Harvey would share, “The Rest of the Story,” with the nation. When I was very young, I wondered when he told the first part of the story, but assumed it must be during the noon news when I was at school.
Of course, over time, I came to understand his premise — that for every big news story or famous legend, there is often a lesser-known back story. For every success, there is often an epic tale of failures. For every love story, there is often a tragic sub-plot. For every happy ending, there are often serendipitous turns of fate along the way. As he would expertly tell the story, I would try to predict where he was going. Who is this famous person he is describing? Sometimes, I guessed, but more often than not, I would be surprised when he completed the story with something like,
“and that man who overcame polio and blindness went on to become….. And now you know {pause} the rest of the story.”
Not only were his stories interesting and engaging, but they served as a character-shaping lesson to me that there is always more to the story and until you know the rest of the story, you don’t know much.
Years later, I again discovered Paul Harvey on the radio and every day at 5:30 p.m. I heard the words that let me know I was about to hear something wonderful.
“Hello, Americans. This is Paul Harvey. You know what the news is. In a moment you’re going to hear…the REST of the story.”
Paul Harvey’s News and Comment
“Hello, Americans, this is Paul Harvey. Stand by for NEWS!”
Sometime in high school I developed a fondness of talk radio. I imagine it was seeded in my childhood car rides with dad, who always listened to WLW out of Cincinnati. Dad was a big fan of Gary Burbank, especially his Earl Pitts Uhmerikun character, a full-blooded redneck who made daily commentary on everything from politics to family to friends, and Gilbert Gnarley, a senior citizen who made crank calls to various businesses and people. I remember a bit in which Gilbert called a local Radio Shack store and very convincingly complained that he had heard that the sun was going to burn out in something like a billion years, thereby rendering the solar-powered calculator he just purchased worthless. He wanted his money back.
Fast forward a few years and I discovered WIBC in Indianapolis, which featured Dave “The King” Wilson, Rush Limbaugh, Greg Garrison, and of course, Paul Harvey. I would try to tune in every morning at 8:30 a.m. for his “News and Comment,” then again at 11:30 a.m. for the extended version. Paul Harvey shared the events of the day with his own commentary as only he could. Most of his stories were a positive alternative to the doom and gloom of the daily news, but he shared the bad news, too.
He would introduce those more tragic stories with phrases like, “And just so you don’t run out of things to worry about,” or, “It is not one world.” Then, he would relay the details of the story with a measure of humanity that always seemed to be missing from the sterilized news broadcasts. He would report how a rogue gunman opened fire, or how a terrorist had attacked innocent people, or even how someone had done something really stupid under the influence of alcohol. My favorite thing was when after sharing most of the specifics, he would end with, speaking of the perpetrator, “He would want me to share his name.” {Pregnant pause.} Then he would move on to the next story with, “Page two.” Paul Harvey wouldn’t dignify the idiots in the news by contributing to their fame.
Master of the Pregnant Pause
In the communications industry where “dead air” is to be avoided, Paul Harvey peppered his broadcasts with pregnant pauses. These pauses teased the punchline or commentary that was about to come. Or they served to allow the listener time to reflect on what he just heard. These pauses added weight and interest to his already riveting stories.
Celebrator of Virtue
On most days, his “News and Comment,” would include a happy birthday wish to people celebrating 90 or 100 and some years on this earth. “Happy Birthday to Gertrude, who today is 103 years young.” Or he would give an anniversary shout-out to a couples celebrating 50, 60, or more years of marriage. To his own credit, he also enjoyed a long and happy marriage to his wife Lynn, whom he affectionately called Angel, for 68 years before she was taken from him by leukemia. One had only to hear how he spoke of her to know what true love is.
He Passed Away on My Birthday
In his later years, his absences grew more frequent and fill-in hosts did their best to stand in his stead. I remember one night in the middle of one of his extended absences I dreamed he had actually passed away but the government had chosen to hide his death because of the tremendous outpouring of grief it would cause in our nation.
But on February 28, 2009, my 34th birthday, he did pass away at the age of 90. That was a sad birthday for me, but I knew he had entered into glory, no doubt greeted with the words we all hope to hear some day, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” And I imagine that just for good measure, God added, “Good DAY!” to show He was a fan. Then, Paul Harvey was welcomed into heaven, shown to his beautiful mansion, and reunited with his beloved Angel.
For the last time, we had heard his famous sign-off,
“Paul Harvey…Good DAY!”