Cross & Crescent

“And now, Paul Harvey news.” For many Americans, Paul Harvey (Culver-Stockton 1939) is one of the most respected radio personalities, one who has set a standard of excellence for broadcasters.

Each morning, millions wake to listen to his lively and insightful commentary on the day’s news. But on one particular day, Harvey didn’t deliver the news, he was the news.

On November 9, 2005, President George W. Bush chose to recognize Harvey by awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Presidential Remarks

The award was bestowed on him in a ceremony at the White House. President Bush had the following words to say about Harvey:

Paul has insisted, “I’m not a hero. I’m simply a man who made a decision to hold on to my family, my life, and my beliefs until the end.”

But the world came to know the story, and people everywhere can recognize heroism. And we’re so honored that Paul is with us here today.

This morning, across the United States, millions of Americans started their day listening to Paul Harvey.

People everywhere feel like they know the man, and his wife, Angel, too. And for so many Americans, no morning, Monday through Saturday, is quite complete without Paul Harvey News and Comment.

This tireless broadcaster is up every day before the sun, writing his own scripts and ad copy for an audience tuning in to more than 1,200 radio stations and the American Forces Network.

He first went on the air in 1933, and he’s been heard nationwide for 54 years. Americans like the sound of his voice.

His friend, Danny Thomas, once said to him, “You’d better be right, because you sound like God.”

And over the decades we have come to recognize in that voice some of the finest qualities of our country: the patriotism, the good humor, the kindness and common sense of Americans. It’s always a pleasure to listen to Paul Harvey, and it’s a real joy this afternoon to honor him, as well.

Folksy News

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Harvey first became a radio announcer in 1933 while attending high school.

You’d better be right, because you sound like God

His smooth baritone voice and mastery of dramatic pause earned him quick advancement for bigger radio gigs across Kansas and Missouri.

Harvey moved to Hawaii in 1940 to cover the U.S. Navy as it began to concentrate its fleet in the Pacific. He was returning to the United States from that assignment when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. A patriot, Harvey enlisted into the Army Air Corps, where he served until 1944.

Upon return, Harvey began a daily newscast in Chicago. By 1951, his syndicated commentaries aired nationally when he began his coast-to-coast News and Comment on the ABC Radio Networks.

It wasn’t until 1976 that Harvey began another series of programs entitled The Rest of the Story, which delve into the forgotten or little known facts behind stories of famous people and events.

Today, Harvey’s News and Comment and The Rest of the Story can be heard every Monday through Saturday. His show is the largest one-man network in the world, consisting of more than 1,200 radio stations, 400 Armed Forces Network stations, and 300 newspapers.

Medal’s History

The Presidential Medal of Freedom was established in 1945 by a Lambda Chi — President Harry S. Truman (Missouri-Columbia 1945) — who created the award to honor service during World War II.

This explains the military look of the medal, which features a gold star with white enamel and a central blue disc with 13 stars, all within a gold ring of American eagles with spread wings separating the points of the star. This magnificent medal is hung on a blue ribbon.

President John F. Kennedy later revived the medal in 1963 and expanded its purpose to recognize individuals who have made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, or to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”

Today, the medal has become one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States, considered the equivalent of the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor.

Unlike many other US awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom can be awarded to non-US citizens. It can be also awarded to an individual more than once, or even posthumously.

Other’s Honored

Two other Lambda Chi’s have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Frank Reynolds (Wabash 1946) and General Jimmy Doolittle (California-Berkeley 1918) have also received this honor.

President Ronald Reagan honored Reynolds with the award on May 23, 1985, and had these words to say:

Reporter and anchorman, family man and a patriot, Frank Reynolds’ life exemplified the highest standards of his profession.

His commitment to the truth, his unfailing sense of fairness, his long experience as both witness and participant in the great events of our time earned him the respect of his colleagues and the trust and admiration of the American people.

We honor his memory for his aggressive but fair-minded reporting and devotion to profession, to family, and to country.

Doolittle, a Theta Kappa Nu initiate, received his on July 6, 1989. President George Bush had these remarks:

General Jimmy Doolittle is an American war hero, a record-breaking pilot, and an innovator in modern aviation.

After serving his country as a flying cadet in World War I, he made the first cross-country flight with only one refueling stop. He set land and seaplane speed records. He was the first to fly blind, by instruments only.

Indeed, Jimmy Doolittle was the master of the calculated risk. And when the United States entered World War II, General Doolittle was assigned a top-secret mission that was perhaps the most daring combined operation of the whole war. He led the first offensive aerial strike on the Japanese mainland after Pearl Harbor.

This courageous, one-way mission electrified the world and gave America’s war — the hopes that we had — a terrific lift.

During the war, General Doolittle also directed U.S. air power in the invasion of Africa and participated in 25 missions, including the first attack on Rome.

General Doolittle is truly the father of modern aviation. For his dedication above and beyond the call of duty, for his bravery and valor, and for his innovation and daring, the Nation thanks him.

Both Reynolds and Doolittle have appeared on the cover of the Cross & Crescent. Reynolds when he was the premier news anchor on ABC News (download 1.9MB PDF excerpt) and Doolittle for his courageous and daring raid on Tokyo, Japan during World War II (download 2.1MB PDF excerpt).

Truman, Reynolds, Doolittle, and now Harvey. Four great Americans, known to millions worldwide, sharing a common thread beyond membership in Lambda Chi Alpha. And now you know the rest of the story.

Copyright/Credit: Photo of Paul Harvey by Lawrence Jackson/AP Photo. Copyright Associated Press.