A new public education advocacy group is set to honor four community leaders this month for their extraordinary contributions in education's four As: academics, agriculture, arts and athletics.

Fresno County schools have an immense financial need and the Foundation @ FCOE is a small group of Fresno County community leaders working to serve as a link for private-public partnerships to creatively meet those needs. The group announced that its inaugural FCOE Honors Gala will take place Sept. 29 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Clovis North High School in the Paul Shaghoian Concert Hall. Tickets are $125 per person. For more information, contact Michele Cantwell-Copher at (559) 265-4036 or mcopher@fcoe.org.

The honorees are:

-- David Mas Masumoto, third-generation Del Rey farmer and award-winning author. In June, the White House named him to the National Council on the Arts, where he joined other top artists in advising the National Endowment for the Arts.

-- Earl Smittcamp, a prominent agribusiness leader who founded Wawona Frozen Foods in Clovis with his wife, Muriel, nearly 70 years ago. In 1997, the couple donated $1 million to Fresno State to establish the Smittcamp Family Honors College.

-- Margaret Hudson, a lover of nature and art, established Earth Arts Studio in Fresno in 1980. She shares her art, philosophy and enthusiasm for life by opening her backyard to 2,000 school children who take field trips through her studio and gardens.

-- Rafer Johnson, an Olympic gold medal decathlete, professional athlete and writer from Kingsburg. He is a founding member of Special Olympics and leads its movement in Southern California, where he currently lives.