Bottom of the News… “Tribute to Paul Harvey” Friday, March 13, 2009

Good morning my fellow Rotarians! February 28th was a sad day for many American radio broadcasters, who lost Paul Harvey at the age of 90. Paul Harvey Aurandt, worked for ABC Radio with daily broadcasts of his News and Comment and his more famous The Rest of the Story segments. He was on the air by the age of 14 and he built his audience to over 22 million weekly listeners on 1200 radio stations. He was the king of radio long before Rush. He would open his broadcasts with…

"Hello Americans, I'm Paul Harvey. You know what the news is, in a minute, you're going to hear ... the rest of the story." I thought a fitting tribute would be to share a letter to his grandkids that he wrote a few years back…

“…We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better. I'd really like YOU to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated. I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car. And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you turn sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep. I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let them. I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as un-cool as your Mom.

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and to read books. When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl. Or that when you talk back to your mother you learn what ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not really your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle. I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and yes, happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I'm here for you. And if I die before you do, I'll go to heaven and wait for you. Send this to all of your friends. And remember, we secure our friends, not by accepting favors, but by doing them.”

As a long ago radio guy, I admired Paul Harvey. He was a man who represented traditional values and common sense. This is my tribute to him on this Friday, March13, 2009… “Good day!”
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