Liz Smith:  Still the Grande Dame of “Dish”
Paschal HS, 1940

“Gossip is news running ahead of itself in a red satin dress,” Liz Smith once said. And at age 86, the legendary gossip columnist is still pursuing juicy celebrity stories for dozens of newspapers running her syndicated column, Daily Variety, Parade magazine and wowOwow.com, a Web site for women that Smith co-founded.

Smith’s hard work and quick wit put her career on the fast track almost as soon as she graduated from the University of Texas and bought a one-way ticket for New York. That was 1945. During the next six decades, she wrote for newspapers and dozens of magazines. She was a CBS radio producer for Mike Wallace and an NBC TV producer. She also worked in front of the camera, winning an Emmy award for reporting.

In 1976, Smith started her gossip column, giving readers an inside look at the Manhattan social scene. Soon Smith became as “A-list” as the celebrities and socialites she chronicled. Her 2000 memoir, “Natural Blonde,” made the New York Times bestseller list. In 2005, she published “Dishing: Great Dish – and Dishes – From America’s Most Beloved Gossip Columnist.” Now she’s working on a new novel. When asked if she planned to retire anytime soon, she said no – she was too busy.

Liz Smith is among the many accomplished and influential former Fort Worth ISD students who make up the District’s Wall of Fame. The inspirational gallery is on display at the FWISD Administration Building.