Paul Harvey

I just heard that Paul Harvey has passed away at the age of 90.

I first heard of Paul Harvey in my seventh grade math class, in which our conservative teacher read to us from his book, The Rest of the Story, before we got to our math lesson. The book contained stories with interesting details about famous people and things in history. Usually, the people or things were identified at the end of the story, which would conclude with "...and now you know the rest of the story."

Paul Harvey was a conservative by-and-large. (I once read that he was pro-choice on the abortion issue). The first time I heard him on the radio, he was speaking out against radical environmentalism. But I don't remember him attacking or making fun of those he disagreed with. Paul Harvey was like Reader's Digest on the radio: folksy, entertaining, patriotic, interesting, family-oriented, warm, conservative--an American institution. Ronald Reagan had the same persona.

RIP, Mr. Paul Aurandt! You certainly made those long car trips go by a lot faster! We'll miss you.