Nunnelee to Boys State delegates: 'Won't stop, can't stop, never quit'

Contact: Margaret Kovar

U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee shared personal experiences Thursday [May 30] to drive home messages of community involvement and never-quit attitudes to Boys State delegates at Mississippi State.

Nunnelee's address at the university program focused on the importance of public service and community involvement, as well as characteristics of strong leaders.

"To be an effective leader, you've got to know what you believe," the 1st District congressman and former state senator said. "Take others' ideas into consideration, but know that at the end of the day, you've got to live with the choices you've made."

He also shared a motto passed on by his high school football coach: "Won't stop, can't stop, never quit."

"Whatever you plan in life, I promise it's not going to go exactly like that. The question is, what are you going to do then?" he asked the audience. "You've got to find a way to keep going."

Representing Mississippi's northern-tier congressional district since 2011, Nunnelee is known for his conservative, pro-life and pro-family values. He currently serves on the House Appropriations Committee, as well as the Agriculture, Energy and Water, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs subcommittees.

Before joining the 112th Congress, the Tupelo native represented Lee and Pontotoc counties in the Mississippi State Senate. A Mississippi State University alumnus, he previously was a vice president of Allied Funeral Associates life insurance company and a member of Tupelo's Community Development Foundation board of directors.

MSU is serving through 2015 as host campus for the Mississippi American Legion Boys State. Considered the nation's premier program for teaching how government works while developing leadership skills and appreciation for the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, the campus session began Saturday [the 25th] and concludes at the end of the week.

For more information about Boys State, visit www.msboysstate.com.

For information about Mississippi State University, see www.msstate.edu.