Paul Harvey

I was a young boy when I first heard the unique voice of Paul Harvey. It was a rainy Sunday afternoon and I was playing with the radio AM dial hoping to find something which would match the mood I was in that day. The weather had forced the cancellation of the baseball game and I was feeling glum. My Sunday afternoon routine was one of lying on my bed with my trusty transistor radio beside me, tuned in to the game.

Music was not going to do it for me on this day and I was hoping I could hook onto a talk radio show, preferably a sports related one. Well, as I scanned the dial, I instantly stopped when I came across a radio voice I had never before heard. The folksy intonation and long pauses caught my attention as the voice went on telling his radio audience about a young boy named George. I forget the details but I do recall thinking at the time that the story was one which must of occurred recently. I was enthralled as I listened to the story and a couple of minutes later, the radio voice informed us that the boy’s full name was George Washington, the country’s future first president. It was that day when I first heard the words, “…and now you know…the rest of the story.” At that moment I instantly became a life long Paul Harvey fan.

Paul Harvey died this Sunday at the age of 90. In an illustrious career with ABC Radio Network which spanned from 1944 to the present, Harvey was a beloved radio personality with a legion of listeners. His News and Commentary pieces were legendary but he will always be remembered for The Rest of the Story segments which told of people both famous and not.

It truly was magical radio.

Here are two examples of Paul Harvey’s Rest of the Story.

[audio=http://mariopiperni.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/Audio/Paul Harvey - The Rest Of The Story - John The Church Organist.mp3, John The Church Organist]

[audio=http://mariopiperni.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/Audio/Paul Harvey - The Rest of the Story - Johnny Couldn't Read.mp3, Johnny Couldn't Read]

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Comments

Jill says:

March 2, 2009 at 1:35 pm

Thanks Mario. I love “feel good” stories and ones with a lesson.

The two clips you provided of Paul Harvey’s stories are excellent in terms of reminding us that we all have redeeming qualities and talents … some sit at the surface for all to see while others lie a little deeper. But with love and patience they all shine bright at some point.

I don’t remember Paul Harvey myself but I’m sure he had an agenda when he ran his “Rest of the Story” segments … by way of example he attempted to foster encouragement and tolerance as well as inspiration and love.