Thanks so much, Steve, for this great, but sad story.

Paul will be missed by us all.

May he rest in peace!

Tom Behler:  KB8TYJ

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 10:24 PM
Subject: Radio Newscaster Paul Harvey Dies at Age 90


> Broadcasting pioneer Paul Harvey dies at age of 90
>
> By RUPA SHENOY - 57 minutes ago
>
> CHICAGO (AP) - Paul Harvey, the news commentator and talk-radio pioneer 
> whose
> staccato style made him one of the nation's most familiar voices, died
> Saturday
> in Arizona, according to ABC Radio Networks. He was 90.
>
> Harvey died surrounded by family at a hospital in Phoenix, where he had a
> winter home, said Louis Adams, a spokesman for ABC Radio Networks, where
> Harvey
> worked for more than 50 years. No cause of death was immediately 
> available.
>
> Harvey had been forced off the air for several months in 2001 because of a
> virus that weakened a vocal cord. But he returned to work in Chicago and 
> was
> still active as he passed his 90th birthday. His death comes less than a 
> year
> after that of his wife and longtime producer, Lynne.
>
> "My father and mother created from thin air what one day became radio and
> television news," Paul Harvey Jr. said in a statement. "So in the past 
> year,
> an
> industry has lost its godparents and today millions have lost a friend."
>
> Known for his resonant voice and trademark delivery of "The Rest of the
> Story," Harvey had been heard nationally since 1951, when he began his 
> "News
> and
> Comment" for ABC Radio Networks.
>
> He became a heartland icon, delivering news and commentary with a 
> distinctive
> Midwestern flavor. "Stand by for news!" he told his listeners. He was 
> credited
> with inventing or popularizing terms such as "skyjacker," "Reaganomics" 
> and
> "guesstimate."
>
> "Paul Harvey was one of the most gifted and beloved broadcasters in our
> nation's history," ABC Radio Networks President Jim Robinson said in a
> statement.
> "We will miss our dear friend tremendously and are grateful for the many 
> years
> we were so fortunate to have known him."
>
> In 2005, Harvey was one of 14 notables chosen as recipients of the
> presidential Medal of Freedom. He also was an inductee in the Radio Hall 
> of
> Fame, as
> was Lynne.
>
> He composed his twice-daily news commentaries from a downtown Chicago 
> office
> near Lake Michigan.
>
> Rising at 3:30 each morning, he ate a bowl of oatmeal, then combed the 
> news
> wires and spoke with editors across the country in search of succinct 
> tales
> of American life for his program.
>
> At the peak of his career, Harvey reached more than 24 million listeners 
> on
> more than 1,200 radio stations and charged $30,000 to give a speech. His
> syndicated
> column was carried by 300 newspapers.
>
> His fans identified with his plainspoken political commentary, but critics
> called him an out-of-touch conservative. He was an early supporter of the 
> late
> Sen. Joseph McCarthy and a longtime backer of the Vietnam War.
>
> Perhaps Harvey's most famous broadcast came in 1970, when he abandoned 
> that
> stance, announcing his opposition to President Nixon's expansion of the 
> war
> and urging him to get out completely.
>
> "Mr. President, I love you ... but you're wrong," Harvey said, shocking 
> his
> faithful listeners and drawing a barrage of letters and phone calls, 
> including
> one from the White House.
>
> In 1976, Harvey began broadcasting his anecdotal descriptions of the lives 
> of
> famous people. "The Rest of the Story" started chronologically, with the
> person's
> identity revealed at the end. The stories were an attempt to capture "the
> heartbeats behind the headlines." Much of the research and writing was 
> done by
> his son, Paul Jr.
>
> Harvey also blended news with advertising, a line he said he crossed only 
> for
> products he trusted.
>
> In 2000, at age 82, he signed a new 10-year contract with ABC Radio 
> Networks.
>
> Harvey was born Paul Harvey Aurandt in Tulsa, Okla. His father, a police
> officer, was killed when he was a toddler. A high school teacher took note 
> of
> his
> distinctive voice and launched him on a broadcast career.
>
> While working at St. Louis radio station KXOK, he met Washington 
> University
> graduate student Lynne Cooper. He proposed on their first date (she said 
> "no")
> and always called her "Angel." They were married in 1940 and had a son, 
> Paul
> Jr.
>
> They worked closely together on his shows, and he often credited his 
> success
> to her influence. She was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1997, 
> seven
> years after her husband was. She died in May 2008.
> On the Net:
> List of 2 items
> . http://www.paulharvey.com
> . http://www.radiohof.org/news/paulharvey.html
> list end
>
> Steve, K8SP
>