The award, bestowed annually by APSE for lifetime achievement, will be presented at the APSE convention in June in Salt Lake City.
Since 1985, Albom has written for the Free Press, though he has since gained international acclaim as an author whose books have sold more than 28 million copies worldwide. Tuesdays with Morrie, the story of Albom’s time with a dying mentor, spent four years on the New York Times bestseller list.
Albom also is an accomplished musician — partly paying for graduate degrees in both journalism and business administration from Columbia University as a piano player. Albom, 51, spent several years performing as a professional musician throughout Europe and the U.S. He is a playwright and screenwriter in addition to radio and television host.
Before coming to Detroit, he worked for The Fort Lauderdale News and Sun Sentinel in Florida. He continues to write for the Free Press.
Albom is the 30th recipient of the Red Smith Award. Red Smith of the New York Times was the first, in 1981.
