“Skyjacked”
Thirteen months ago a Voice was silenced. Like many voices from my youth that have since exited the stage, this Voice left a void deep in my soul. I, until Feb 28, 2009, can not recall not hearing this Voice on the radio. Now we’re talking over seventy years. I remember other voices from long ago as well. Many were the usual Radio shows like Tom Mix, Hopalong Cassidy, Jack Armstrong and there was the very unusual voice of Walter Winchell. Winchell’s tag line was “Good Evening Mr and Mrs North and South America and all the Ships at sea”, with a telegraph keyboard taping out morse code in the background.
It was however the Voice with the staccato delivery I remember the most. And not me alone, but millions and millions of Americans also remember the Voice by tuning in over 1200 radio stations 6 days a week at 12 noon to hear the Voice say ” Hello America……….stand by for News“. This Voice with that odd gait and those long long pauses, took us into its’ world of words with such ease. Those pauses forced our minds to lean into the Radio waiting the next few words. With the Voices’ staccato pace and teasing pauses, a 15 minute broadcast remained in our minds the entire day.
So powerful was the man behind this Voice, that in the mid 1960′s when the voice one day said that he no longer thought that America should be fighting the Vietnam war, the President of the United States said to his advisers “If we have lost Paul Harvey then we have lost the American people.” So powerful was this Voice that when some thugs took hostage an aircraft and its’ passengers, the Voice coined the phrase “Skyjack “ which today is as real and fresh as tomorrows newspaper.
What made Paul Harvey, with his magnificent voice, so great was his CONTENT. Honest content, reliable content, and informative content. No one ever doubted Paul Harvey. His sincerity and his giving 110 percent effort to his audience set Paul Harvey apart from the clatter of competing voices. Why I once learned how to properly tie my shoes from Paul Harvey. They would come loose often and have to be retied. Paul Harvey shared a secret learned from a shoeshine man in a Railway station. My shoe laces have not worked their way loose since. And how about those “Rest of the Story” programs. Can you honestly say you wished you hadn’t wasted your time listening to them. I think not. In fact if you want to waste some more time, go to my “You Tube Channel” where in my favorites are a dozen or so “Rest of the Story” clips as well as the one posted at the end of this article.
Yes it was content that the Voice gave us and it was the Voice that said to us about this content, “I am fiercely loyal to those willing to put their money where my mouth is.“ While content delivery methods change, the value of content remains the same. Good content delivers and bad content does not. This will never change!
Enjoy the video and please comment perhaps on who was or is your favorite VOICE.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKDb4hN0JoA[/youtube]
I'm a 74 year old man who loves this new medium of Blogging. I am also an Senior Manager in Send Out Cards which gives me a superior method of relating to the world through Greeting Cards. I have met and enjoyed wonderful friends who support me and actually LIKE me which is very rewarding. My online presence is growing and if I can hang on to life I will reap the benefits of establishing a business that will comfort me when I get old. Mostly however I Blog about my life which for some strange reason is well received. Like most of us the future is scary and the remembrance of older days give a measure of comfort. So I continue to reveal the past with optimism that the future will some day be the comfort of somebody else.16 Comments
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Nelson,
Paul Harvey was an awesome person. Like you said, he did not worry about what was popular or politically correct, he spoke honestly and consistently from his heart. The world is a little dimmer because of his passing on.
Thanks for the great tribute,
Val
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Nelson Schroeder Reply:
March 22nd, 2010 at 9:35 am
Thanks Val, I can always count on you. You are appreciated.
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Ok – Wow Nelson – I don’t even know where to start with this post. It was touching enough to remember Paul Harvey – But Jacobs story is unreal too. I don’t ever remember seeing that painting – it is so awesome and the story behind it is extraordinary. Thanks for another awesome post!
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Hey Nelson,
Paul Harvey was a very inspirational person. The tribute was beautiful.
Debbie Turner
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Nelson Schroeder Reply:
March 22nd, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Hi Debbie, thanks for stopping by. Yes Paul Harvey was inspirational. Did you know he was married 68 years also.
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I used to listen to Paul Harvey with my Dad. I didn’t remember this story about Jacob.
Thanks for sharing. It brought back some good memories.
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I have always loved “voices” and listen to things more than watch (I am one of the minority). I do indeed remember Paul Harvey’s voice, and some other radio voices that I have enjoyed over the years include Bob Edwards from Morning Edition on NPR, Robert Siegel from All Things Considered, Bill Shonley (long time voice of the Portland Trail Blazers) and of course, the voice of the Seattle Mariners, Dave Niehaus.
Thanks for writing this tribute. Voices can indeed be great content!
~Mary Lou
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Nelson Schroeder Reply:
March 25th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Hi Mary, yes voices make up a good portion of who we are. As I get older(if that’s possible) the voices bring to me a great amount of joy and satisfaction. My CEO likes to tell me that the Stories in my mind become the Stories of my life.
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Nelson,
You brought tears to my eyes with this post. You took me back to my youth, growing up listening to Paul Harvey in the background as he was on of my Parents favorites. Now that I am older, I can so appreciate the value of what he contributed to our world.
Thank God that I found you while ” your dirt nap is on hold” so I can appreciate your contribution to our world as well.
I appreciate you.
Susan
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Nelson Schroeder Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
Thank you Susan for your kind comments. Paul Harvey was a Middle America Icon and I don’t suppose you can get more Middle America than Van Buren, AR Are you anywhere near Justin Glover in Conway, AR
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Very nice post. Before there was Rush Limbaugh, there was Paul Harvey. What I like best was how he would enunciate certain words such as protein – “pro-tea-in”. He was a unique and classy guy.
Regards, Kevin
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washouse Reply:
May 2nd, 2010 at 9:43 am
Kevin how right you are. Harvey was a master at the English language. And those dead air pauses. Only he could pull that off.
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This was a beautiful memorial tribute to both Paul and Jacob really. I recall being a little girl and watching my father’s countenance change as he often listened to Paul Harvey over the car radio. I often wondered why the voice he heard seem to calm him and often make him laugh like no one else could. This post helped me to understand more deeply. Thank you.
Kellie Frazier
dot com
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washouse Reply:
May 2nd, 2010 at 9:41 am
Kellie, I was touched by your comments about your Father. What your Dad and those of my generation felt when listening to Paul was that he was our personal friend. Words connect us to ideas, feelings, and actions. I to this day will say that Paul Harvey taught me how to tie my shoes. And need I say how much STUFF I bought because Paul Harvey told me to. The man could sell Ice Cubes to Eskimos.
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Nelson, Paul Harvey was one of my favorite voices. I always listen to him when I was delivering the mail in the 80′s and 90′s. But Red Skelton will always be my favorite, for you see he has inspired my greatly as a clown. Thank You and the rest of the story was beautiful.
Chet
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washouse Reply:
May 2nd, 2010 at 10:11 am
Perhaps Chester I should address your as Healthcliff. One of my favorite Red Skelton characters. Red inspired many of us with his Clean humor and antics.
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