Saturday February 28, 2009 marks the conclusion of one man's life and the passing of a national treasure. We are a lesser country for it. Yesterday we lost a national icon with the death of Paul Harvey.
For decades Mr. Harvey touched our lives with his radio show, inviting us into his world and sharing with us stories from around the world. Many people like myself found Paul's stories touching, some funny, others that would get your dander up. Always delivered in that same staccato voice. I think his voice and speech pa terns made him stand out from the crowd and was one of his greatest assets.
One story he told back in 1978 that has always stuck with me, why I don't know, but it has. It was about a young kid whose dad bought him a brand new van for graduation. The van was loaded, bar, cruise control, the works. Maybe it was because the van had the cruise control and I had just got my first car that had cruise control.
The event happened back east some where. The kid was going down a free way and decided to mix a drink. He put the van on cruise control and went back to mix himself a drink and had no recollection of what happened next. Any how that is what he told the doctors in the hospital when he woke up. He had placed the van in cruise control and just didn't know what happened after that.
Fortunately the kid was not too badly banged up nor was anyone else hurt. Harvey always had stories that showed us our strengths our failings and he always tried to give us hope.
The show I will miss most was his, now you know the rest of the story. He always have intriguing stories about fascinating people and the whole story about them or events that involved them. As I write this, sadly none of the stories come to mind. I just know I will miss them and the way he told them.
I know I will miss Paul Harvey and had for over a year, he was seldom on his show this last year, his son and others took over much of the broadcast duties. Last year Mr. Harvey lost his wife, I suspect loneliness, missing his wife may have contributed to his passing.
Yes yesterday we lost a national treasure, Paul Harvey dead at age 90 and as Paul ended his broadcasts I will end this entry with the same style, now you know the rest of the story........good day
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