In the summers of the 1970s, when I was a kid, I used to work for my father bailing hay. I always carried a little transistor radio with me…
At midday, I’d stop for lunch, park the tractor under a shady tree, and sit down to eat while listening to Paul Harvey. Hearing his voice today takes me back to those warm summer days of my childhood, when my parents, brother, grandmothers, aunts, and uncles were all alive and well. My heart aches for those times.
From 1952 to 2008, Paul Harvey’s voice reached as many as 24 million people each week. His “Paul Harvey News” program aired on 1,200 radio stations, 400 Armed Forces Network stations, and appeared in 300 newspapers. Most people probably know him best for his famous radio segment, “The Rest of the Story.”
Paul Harvey was a national treasure. Generations of listeners tuned in not just for his stories and insights, but for the soothing, familiar sound of his voice, which transported you to another place for a few moments. He challenged your way of thinking, sometimes forever changing it.
If you really listened, this man could teach you a great deal about life. I miss those days—the moments of reflection, deep thought, and introspection. I wonder sometimes if we, as individuals, do enough of that today.
One of Paul Harvey’s most well-known pieces was an essay he wrote and revised several times throughout his life, even before he became a television figure. It’s a controversial piece, open to interpretation—whether you take it literally or metaphorically, it resonates.
In this audio clip, Paul Harvey reads the 1996 version of the essay. It’s astonishing how accurate some of his “predictions” were.
