Remembering Paul Harvey

I read from the MSN homepage that radio personality Paul Harvey passed away. Now to those born in the mid-eighties and don't listen to radio - especially to the news and talk radio - may not know or care, but to me, this man is radio giant and icon. I remember hearing his news broadcast in the early mornings during the week. As pre-schooler, I naturally didn't care for the news back then but his voice stood out prominently in the background during the din of breakfast in our home (I credit my father for making Mr. Harvey a daily part of our morning ritual). As the years went by, especially by the time I was in the 5th grade, I began to actually listen and look forward to his news broadcast after the regular news. His distinctive voice and playful delivery made the news fun to listen to (even the serious ones). To me, he sounded like an uncle who was telling an entertaining story but with an important lesson. By the time I was in the 8th grade, his voice and delivery of the news conjured up - in my mind - images of life in America during the 50s (don't ask me because I don't know why I had these thoughts); from those thoughts I began to wonder how long has Mr Harvey been doing this. By the mid-eighties and onward, my daily routines shifted and listening to his show faded away into the ethers of the past. During the late 90's, I started to get nostalgic for those mornings when his voice was part of my household. Since then, I would try to look for his morning radio news broadcasts from the local radio stations of the town I moved to, but because it was low in priority, I didn't put much effort into looking for it thinking that he may have already retired from the business. However, one morning I hit pay dirt. I stumbled into one of his broadcasts from the talk radio station that I listen to; however, there was something odd about the voice - it was not as how I remember it. By the end I found out why: it was Paul Harvey Jr., who was behind the mic. Good as he is and with all due respect to Mr. Harvey Jr., he's close, but no cigar! I wondered what had happened to my favorite radio "uncle." Did he retire? It was a bit hard to accept but realistically it was a logical conclusion. A few months had gone by and I stumbled upon another broadcasts - I was oblivious to the time because I was so excited to hear the very voice I remember when I was in grade school all those years ago: It was the real deal! I made it a point to jot down the time at the close of his newscasts just so I could catch it again on another day; that was about a week and a half ago. The day before yesterday (Feb 28, 2009), I read the sad news. Just as I finally found him in the airwaves again, I lost him. I just hope we can download or buy copies of his news broadcasts the same way you can purchase old time radio shows on CD. I will miss Mr. Harvey. Whenever I think about his voice and his news broadcast, I'm brought back to fond memories of mornings with bacon, eggs, pancakes, the aroma of coffee, and the chaos of a family getting ready for the day while my father calmly sat in the middle of it all. From Mr. Harvey's intro of "Hello Americans, this is Paul Harvey...Stand by for news!" to his closing statement that was simple yet comforting: "Paul Harvey...good day." Good day indeed, Mr. Harvey. Your voice will sorely be missed by me and the multitudes who enjoyed and learned from your broadcasts. May you rest in peace.