They Don't Make 'em Like That Anymore

My parent's generation, the G.I. Generation - aka The Greatest Generation - and their parents, were the ones who truly got to enjoy what's known as "The Golden Age of Radio". But, there were some remaining vestiges of that era when I was pre-school-aged. I remember hearing some of it, waiting outside, along with my older Brother and Sister, in our black 1951 Chevy Bel Air, while Mom did the grocery shopping at the A&P. We would entertain ourselves by listening to the car radio. Mostly, we would listen for some of that new Rock 'n' Roll music, interspersed with the stuff that old folks liked ... Don McNeil's Breakfast Club, Big Band Music, News, Weather, etc. However, there was a unique personality that seemed to fit in with "the stuff that old folks liked" that stood out and appealed to me. He would capture my attention, from the outset, when he would come on and say,

"Hello Americans! This is Paul Harvey!

... Stand by for News!"

That captivation endured for most of six decades, until Paul Harvey passed away, recently, at the age of 90. It may be beyond me to fully define what it was about Paul Harvey that I found so appealing. What, generally, attracted me was a sense of a good person, with a good message ... the sort you hear esteemed with the statement, "They don't make 'em like that anymore". I think it may be more accurate to say, "They don't make many like that anymore" but I do believe Paul Harvey's sort are rare and are rapidly becoming even rarer. With that in mind, my motivation is to try to identify the qualities I found so appealing about Paul Harvey, hoping that we can encourage it in our culture, rather than just watching it depart along with Mr. Harvey and his generation.

Probably like most of his listeners, I never met Paul Harvey. So, when I speak of his qualities, I'm mindful that these are characteristics of his public persona. However, I've never heard even a hint of an indication that Paul Harvey's "real personality" was much different than his "radio personality". With that understood, the qualities that stood out for me in Paul Harvey are these:

He gave his work his best effort. His work was "News and Comment" and he was exceptionally skilled at it. Although he didn't dodge news that was unpleasant or try to sugar-coat it, one thing that set Paul Harvey apart was that you could count on him to find and to report good news. And, he didn't just "report" the news, he told stories ... great stories, that were uplifting, told by a great story-teller. His renowned segments known as "The Rest of the Story" offer the best evidence of this.

He, unfailingly, honored his Wife. Although her given name was Lynne, Paul Harvey called her Angel. They married in 1940 and the Harveys remained together until she passed away in 2008. Angel was mentioned often in Paul Harvey's broadcasts and always with great warmth and respect.

He was, unashamedly, a man of faith. However, I don't remember him being critical of others for having different views. This applied to other personal views, as well. It wasn't hard to tell that he was a Conservative and though prominent Republicans like Thompson, Huckabee and Romney have filled in for him, I don't recall him ever voicing partisan positions.

He was an unflinching American Patriot. It was said that Paul Harvey was "the Norman Rockwell of radio", honoring anonymous Americans with his words, the way Rockwell did with his painting. In 2005, President George W. Bush honored Paul Harvey's patriotism with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

An exceptionally skilled professional, who is unabrasively dedicated to his family, to his faith and to his country. There are some qualities I'd like to see encouraged in our culture ... especially with members of the media and others who are looked to as role models. My prayer is that this will be the case, as a suitable tribute to Paul Harvey, rather than just seeing these qualities further diminished in our culture with the last saying of,

"Paul Harvey.

... Good Day!"