February 28, 2009

nd now... 'The Rest of the Story'.....

Paul was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His father was born in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania; his mother was a native of Denmark. He had one sibling, an older sister Frances Harrietta.

In 1921, when Paul was three years old, his father was murdered. His father and a friend — a Tulsa police detective — were rabbit hunting while off-duty when approached by four armed men who attempted to rob them. Paul's father was shot and died two days later of his wounds. The four robbers were identified by the surviving detective, and arrested the day after Paul's father died. A lynch mob of 1,500 people formed at the jail, but all four were smuggled out, tried, convicted, and received life terms

As a young boy Paul made radio receivers and in 1933, at a high school teacher’s suggestion, he started working at KVOO in Tulsa. His first job was to help clean up, and eventually he was allowed to fill in on the air, reading commercials and news.

In 1940, Paul married Lynne Harvey (née Cooper) of St. Louis. Paul invited her to dinner, proposed to her after a few minutes of conversation and from then on called her "Angel," even on his radio show.

In 1940, Paul moved to Hawaii to cover the United States Navy as it concentrated its fleet in the Pacific. He was returning to the mainland from assignment in Hawaii when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Harvey served briefly as an enlisted man in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II from December 1943 until March 1944.

After leaving military service, Paul moved to Chicago, where in June 1944, he began broadcasting from the ABC affiliate WENR. He quickly became the most popular newscaster in Chicago.

From the late 1960s through the early 1980s, there was a televised, five-minute editorial by Paul  that local stations could insert into their local news programs, or show separately. On May 10, 1976, ABC Radio Networks premiered The Rest of the Story as a separate series which provided endless surprises as Paul dug into stories behind the stories of famous events and people. Pal's son, a concert pianist, created and produced the series. He remained the show's only writer.

In late 2000, Paul signed a 10-year, $100 million contract with ABC Radio Networks. A few months later, he was off the air after damaging his vocal cords. He returned in late August 2001.

Paul's News and Commentary is streamed on the World Wide Web twice a day. Paul Harvey News has been called the "largest one-man network in the world," as it is carried on 1,200 radio stations, 400 Armed Forces Network stations around the world and 300 newspapers. His broadcasts and newspaper columns have been reprinted in the Congressional Record more than those of any other commentator.

Paul did not host the show full-time after April 2008; when he came down with pneumonia. Shortly after his recovery his wife died on May 3rd, causing him to prolong his time away from broadcasting. Prior to his death, he voiced commercials, new episodes of The Rest of the Story and "News & Comments" during middays a few times a week, with his son Paul Jr. handling mornings.

I grew up listening to Paul, both in the barn where I always kept a radio playing for the animals and at my work. Always had to try to be near the radio at 4pm to hear, 'The rest of the Story". He was one of the last, if not the last, of the real radio announcers. He was a staple of the country music stations. An icon worldwide. Radio will not be the same without him.

He is now continuing on to the next chapter of the 'rest of his story'...."Paul Harvey ... Good day."

Paul Harvey Aurandt
September 4, 1918-
February 28, 2009