In 1989, Elwood Edwards Jr. sat down in his living room, pressed the red button on a recorder, and spoke three words that would become an iconic phrase for a generation. These three words were eagerly anticipated while the dial-up modem screeched and beeped, as the desktop computer slowly crawled onto the Internet. Suspense built as people wondered, “Will there be something waiting for me today?” Moments later, as the screeching sounds faded and after a few clicks on the screen, they would hear the words they longed for:

“You’ve got mail.” 📨

Elwood Edwards, who passed away this month at the age of 74, recorded this phrase along with others, becoming the voice of the Internet for a generation of Americans just learning to access the World Wide Web. When Elwood recorded these words, he had no idea that this small project would become ingrained in American vernacular, even lending its name to a Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan rom-com.

At the time, Elwood couldn’t have realized the impact of these recordings—how kids and adults alike would grow up hearing his voice as they accessed AOL through the CDs packed into every magazine in America. It’s easy to think of his recordings as a minor contribution to the immense technical achievement that was AOL, but those simple words had an outsized impact on a generation.

The next time you question your contribution to a new project, remember Elwood. You never know what small action might have an outsized impact.

NY Times:Elwood Edwards, Voice of AOL’s ‘You’ve Got Mail!’ Alert, Dies at 74