An American Icon Is Lost
Paul Harvey (September 4, 1918 – February 28, 2009)
Mr. Paul Harvey Aurandt was an American Icon! He was a radio broadcaster for ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast news and comments on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays. Mr. Harvey was well known for his famous “The Rest of the Story” segments. His listening audience was estimated at 22 million people a week. Mr. Harvey liked to say he was raised in radio newsrooms.
The most noticeable features of Harvey’s idiosyncratic delivery was his dramatic pauses, quirky intonations and his folksiness. A large part of his success stemmed from the seamlessness with which he segued from his monologue into reading commercial messages. He explained his enthusiastic support of his sponsors as such: “I am fiercely loyal to those willing to put their money where my mouth is.”
For more than 50 years, Paul Harvey was the voice that soothed Americans all over the world. He was, to many people, an American Legend on and off the air. His death comes less than a year after the death of his wife and longtime producer, Lynne.
I have so many fond memories of sitting by the radio with my 2 sisters, my grandmother and sometimes my mother. We waited for what would become the most legendary of legendary phrases, “And now, the rest of the story”.
We have indeed lost someone of special importance. In all my 40 years, I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone utter an ill word about Mr. Harvey. This is something unheard of in our time. It seems like we live in an age where celebrities feel like they can do no wrong because of their financial situation. Mr. Harvey was one of the good guys.
I could go on and on about the things I adore about him, but I won’t. I’ll simply close with the words that have defined a great man…
“And now you know, the rest of the story.”