Paul W. Smith, a Monroe native and one of the top-rated morning radio hosts in the country, will be honored by the Education Foundation of Monroe Public Schools at an “Evening with Paul W. Smith” on Thursday, April 30, at the Monroe Golf & Country Club. 

     Smith, who is the host of the Paul W. Smith Show on WJR radio in Detroit, is a member of the National Radio Hall of Fame and this tribute is believed to be the first public reception in his home town to recognize that honor.

     The evening begins at 6 p.m. at the country club and includes dinner and a program.  Tickets for the event are $50 each or $500 for a table and are available at the Monroe Public Schools Administration Building, 1275 N. Macomb St., or by calling 734-265-3000.  Tickets also are available from Education Foundation members. 

     The Education Foundation of Monroe Public Schools was the first of its kind in a public school in Monroe County when it was established in 1999.  The Foundation helps support education in Monroe Public Schools by awarding mini-grants to classroom teachers for innovative lessons and approaches.  It also provides up to 20 scholarships annually for graduating Monroe High School seniors.

     Mr. Smith, who was educated in Monroe, attended Monroe County Community College and earned a bachelors degree in communications from the University of Michigan.  He began his radio career in 1970 at the former WVMO radio in Monroe.  That career also has taken him to Toledo, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Philadelphia and New York City before he achieved his current position at WJR, essentially succeeding his hero, J.P. McCarthy.