Though Dead, He Speaks

My wife and I began listening to “Night Sounds” on a local radio station a couple of decades ago, and we either got busy, and forgot about it, or the broadcast was dropped from the station schedule. In the meantime, years passed and the host of the program, Bill Pearce, passed away (in 2010).

About a year ago, I discovered that archival segments of this wonderful radio broadcast are available on the internet. Of course, I was elated.

Night Sounds is a Christian radio production, and consists of a half hour format, with Bill Pearce monologing a particular topic; interspersed with Christian musical selections.

I know this sounds somewhat like an advertisement, but as I previously implied, I absolutely LOVE this broadcast, so much so that I have “saved” over a hundred of the daily segments on an attachable hard drive.

Bill Pearce was an accomplished trombonist and an extraordinary bass vocalist. He occasionally played his own music on the Night Sounds broadcast. He produced and narrated the Bible on cassette tapes, and regularly introduced his music at various venues throughout the United States. Mr. Pearce was also a member of “The 16 Singing Men” group which often appeared live, and made numerous video and audio recordings.

While at a high school graduation exercise I noticed a poignant phrase on the screen.

“My students are living messages to a time that I will never see.”

As a former university professor, and current counselor and formal mentor, I can relate. We simply cannot stay here, but we have been given the inestimable privilege, while we still live and move and breathe, to impact those who will “pick up our mantle” and carry on in our place.

Bill Pearce was like that. Even as he neared the end of his days, he was thinking about his impact on future generations.

It seems that one of the producers of Night Sounds once stopped by the nursing home where Mr. Pearce resided. And in the course of his conversation with Bill, and knowing how important humor is to good emotional health, especially to someone in a skilled nursing environment, he decided to tease him a bit.

“You know, Bill, some of our accomplishments, some of what we gleaned while we were here, and what we meant to leave behind for future generations just aren’t meant to outlive us.”

With this, the former radio host frowned, and the furrows in his brow seemed suddenly deeper.

“You mean, you mean…”

“Mr. Smith” immediately set Mr. Pearce at ease and relieved his anxiety.

“Now, now Bill. I’m just teasing ya. You needn’t be concerned. Those hundreds upon hundreds of radio broadcasts which you narrated over the course of half a century are meant to outlive you. And we have made arrangements for those broadcasts to live in perpetuity through means of recording, radio and internet. Never fear. What you have painstakingly created and given your best efforts to will go right on impacting the next generation, and countless generations to come.”

With this, the little man managed a broad smile, and it seemed the weight of the world dropped from his shoulders.

We all want to leave a legacy. Bill Pearce left a legacy extraordinaire.

I would encourage you to tune in to his daily broadcast. As I implied, it is available on the internet 24/7/365, at www.nightsoundsradio.org

Bill’s listeners are living messages to a time that he will never see.


By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from (Mc)Donald's Daily Diary, Vol. 23. Copyright pending

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