In the summers of the 1970s, when I was a kid, I would spend my days working for my father, bailing hay. I always had my little transistor radio with me.
At midday, I’d pause for lunch, park the tractor under a shady tree, and eat while listening to Paul Harvey. His voice became a soundtrack to those hot, lazy afternoons, taking me back to a time when my parents, brother, grandmothers, aunts, and uncles were all alive and well. There’s a longing in my heart for those days—simpler times that now feel so far away.
From 1952 to 2008, Paul Harvey’s unmistakable voice reached up to 24 million listeners each week. His “Paul Harvey News” was heard on 1,200 radio stations, 400 AFN stations, and featured in 300 newspapers. Many remember him best for his iconic radio segment, The Rest of the Story.
Paul Harvey was more than a broadcaster; he was an American treasure. Generations tuned in not just for the news but for the calm, reassuring cadence of his voice. It had a way of transporting you, even for just a few minutes, to a place of reflection and thoughtfulness. He could shift your perspective and make you ponder the world in a way few could.
If you just listened, you could learn a lot from the man. I miss those days—the times spent in quiet reflection, the moments that made you stop and think deeply. Sometimes, I wonder if we as a society have lost the art of introspection.
One of Paul Harvey’s most memorable contributions was an essay he wrote and refined over the years, even before his television career began. It’s a provocative piece, open to interpretation—whether you read it literally or metaphorically, its truth resonates in profound ways.
In 1996, Harvey recorded a version of this essay, and it’s astonishing how prophetic some of his “predictions” turned out to be. Listening to him now, it’s as if his voice still has the power to make you sit back, think, and consider the bigger picture, just as it did all those years ago.
