The book features 139 photographs, many in color, drawn from an historic journalistic career spanning six decades. Her mentors incuded two great Chattanooga newspaper publishers: Adolph Ochs and Roy McDonald.
For a copy of this book, send $27 to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, in care of Drue Smith Publications, 125 Lincoln Court, Nashville, Tennessee 37205. The profit from the sale of the biography will go to the Drue Smith scholarship for aspiring journalists. The scholarship is administered by Nashville’s nonprofit Community Foundation in behalf of the Middle Tennessee Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
For a decade before her death, Drue Smith penned "Drue's Vues" for GCA Publication's five suburban newspapers.
In 1989, Whit Adamson, executive director, Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, presented Drue Smith with a lifetime membership to mark her outstanding service to the broadcasting industry.
In a 1984 joint resolution, the General Assembly named Drue their 133rd member. She did not have a vote or per diem but she had the ear of many prominent lawmakers for more than 30 years. In 1985, the assembly also named Drue their reporter laureate.
A native Chattanoogan, she wrote for both papers there before beginning her broadcast career. She hosted a radio show on WAPO where she gave Estes Kefauver the legendary coonskin cap that he later took on the road in his presidential campaign.
She moved her show to WDOD, then to WDEF where she was named public affairs director. The day WDEF-TV signed on the air in 1954, so did she, with “Drue’s Party Line.”
In those early days, she was the only woman member (honorary) of the Tennessee National Guard. She flew by military aircraft to inspect their summer active duty camp and report on their activities. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy appointed her to represent Tennessee on the Defense Advisory Committee for Women in the Services.
Later, she came to Nashville to serve as information liaison for Governor Frank Clement. She also was a contributor to NBC’s "Monitor," ABC’s "Flair" and CBS’ "Accent" and "In Person" which were precursors for today's National Public Radio’s news and information shows.
She stayed on in Nashville to cover the Tennessee General Assembly for WLAC-AM radio and the Tennessee Radio Network, becoming the first woman to chair the Capitol Hill Press Corps. In 2001, the Legislature named the Capitol Press Room for her.
Drue also lent her talents to the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. She was their first woman member and first woman president. In 1997, the group named their journalism scholarship for her.
