Paul Harvey - RIP

An American icon has left the mortal world and has now rejoined his "Angel". Radio commentator Paul Harvey died Saturday (2-28) in Arizona at the age of 90.

I've been expecting the news for quite some time, but that doesn't make it any easier. Paul has been a part of my personal and professional life for as long as I can remember. My dad, also named Paul, was an avid listener. Paul's programs came on at 7:30am and 12:30pm each weekday and when we were at the breakfast or dinner table and heard "Hello Americans..." we knew it was time to be very, very quiet. If you caused a disturbance during Paul Harvey, you risked Dad's wrath.

Don't worry, no one got whipped or anything like that, but I think there were some times when the program didn't air because of "technical difficulties" at the local station that my Dad would have liked to have kicked somebody's ass.

Growing up listening to Paul, I got the idea that it would be pretty cool to work in radio. By the time I was 16, I was working part time at KATQ AM & FM in Plentywood, MT. After high school, I attended the Yellowstone School of Broadcasting in Billings, MT and then the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND, all the while working in radio. Many of the stations I worked for were Paul Harvey affiliates and I listened to literally thousands of his newscasts and "The Rest of the Story" broadcasts.

One of my most vivid memories of Paul's broadcasts came from a program I missed hearing, but I heard about it soon afterward. While I was in the Rimrock Foundation in Billings, MT back in January 1997, my Dad came in for the family week activities with the news that our hometown of Plentywood had been on Paul Harvey. He then proceeded to tell me that Montana Highway Patrolman Del Kranzler had pulled over a suspected drunk driver and taken him to the Sheridan County Sheriff's Department to administer the breathalyzer test. When there, the suspect asked to use the restroom. When he stepped out, Del noticed a blue tint around the guys lips. Apparently the legend was that the ingredients of a urinal cake would help you defeat the breathalyzer test.

What a story to hear while you're sobering up!

That was a typical Paul Harvey broadcast, a mixture of the hard news of the day with some offbeat stories from whatever source he could find. It kept the listeners coming back daily for over fifty years.

I think Paul is now sharing "The Rest of the Story" or maybe a bumpersnicker with St. Peter and God in Heaven.

Thank you Paul for sharing with us these many year. Godspeed.