I was sad when Charlton Heston died last year. When Ronald Reagan passed away, I was sad for two days. Today, we witness the passing of another American titan: Paul Harvey.
You may laugh, particularly if you're not familiar with his work...but how could you not be? He was so well-known, so ubiquitous in America, that he was even parodied on The Simpsons 15 years ago...a feat that few of his generation and origin can boast. Born and raised in Tulsa, he was true-blue Midwestern American and always represented it well. I first fell in love with his incredible, even voice as a kid when I would listen to it while on the road with my dad. Dad traveled (drove, actually) quite a lot when I was younger, first while working for a now-defunct company called Exploration Logging (ExLog for short). This work required driving long distances to oil rigs out in the middle of nowhere in western Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle. I would often go with him when I wasn't in school, and we'd be driving along listening to the magic that is AM radio, when Paul Harvey would come on. All conversation would cease as we both listened, wonderstruck, to his smooth and engaging style as he effortlessly told us all "The Rest of the Story" or provided his witty and poignant commentary on the events of the day. Whenever I had a chance after that, I'd try to find him on the radio. As I got older, my diligence lessened by my love never faded.
And now, Page 2.
Paul Harvey WAS Middle America. He was steeped in it, he represented it, he was its one true, shining, constant voice. In a media age in which the New York City area has become the center of the universe, its stereotypes and accents saturate our culture, and its interests and quirks presume to represent us all, Paul Harvey was a stalwart of an earlier time, demonstrating the simple values of the WHOLE of America, coast to coast. He was the best of the old school radio journalists, reading evenly and succinctly, never betraying feeling or opinion with tone or copy, much in the style of Walter Winchell. Even when amused by what he was reading, his tone of voice barely betrayed it, and yet the subtlety of it still caught your ear. He never condescended, never mocked, never patronized. He read stories from all parts of America and the world, regarding people and places of all backgrounds and cultures. There was always something interesting or instructive in the stories he presented and he brought them to us without prejudice or melodrama. Many news organizations and personalities claim to present the ultimate "We Report, You Decide" concept that is universally accepted as the gold standard of journalism; Paul Harvey embodied it. Sure, he could provide commentary, but he never mixed his commentary with his news, as is commonly done today. You might hear humor or sadness in his tone as he read a story, but it was never obvious or scornful. He let the news stand on its own. Even his commentary, such that it was, never carried the in-your-face, they're-idiots-and-we're-not theme so often heard in the commentary of today; he gave honest, common-sense, inspiring, positive words that spoke to every one of us.
Also, he never flinched. Listen to his report from one of America's most infamous days, September 11, 2001:
[Link here, audio courtesy of WGN Radio]
What more needs to be said?
Michelle Malkin provides a nice tribute to him. I'm sure many others will provide a better tribute than I have, and he deserves every word (though he would never have said so himself).
Very little of his work is available online, but WGN has graciously provided several of his classic and memorable moments on their website. His official site is here, and they may provide more later.
We're all less because you're gone, Mr. Harvey. Who in the Internet age could possibly fill the void in the American fabric that you have left behind? All that's left now is for us all to say to you, Paul Harvey...good day.
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