Mississippi American Legion Boys State At Ole Miss For First Time Ever Under 3-Year Agreement

Mississippi’s American Legion’s Boys State kicked off its annual week-long session on Sunday (May 29) at the University of Mississippi main campus for the first time in its history. Rising high school juniors from cities across the Magnolia State convened to participate in what is widely known as one of the most respected educational programs of government instruction for high school students.

Boys State provides the opportunity for young men from across Mississippi to perform and learn the duties of state and local governments during a weeklong event designed “to develop tomorrow’s informed, responsible citizens. Legion posts select high school juniors to attend the program. In most cases, individual expenses are paid by a sponsoring post, a local business or another community-based organization.

Oxford attorney Hiram C. Eastland, III has been involved in Boys’ State since he was a delegate himself in 1995. He was a staffer for the five sessions following that year and has been involved with putting the event on every year since. He was a part of the effort to bring Boys’ State to Ole Miss and is happy to have it taking place in his home town.

“It was a competitive bid process between several universities, and Ole Miss won the bid,” Eastland said. “This is the first time it has ever been at Ole Miss, and this is the first of three years that it will be here.”

Hiram Eastland III of Oxford was a delegate in 1995, served as a staff five years after that and has been involved as an advisor ever since.

Hunter Pace formerly of Oxford and now a student at Emory University is serving on this year’s Boys State staff.

Hunter Pace, formerly of Oxford and now of Atlanta and a current student at Emory University, is participating on the Boys State staff once again this year.  He has been involved with Boys State since high school as well and said he could not pass up on the opportunity to return to Oxford and be a part of the event at Ole Miss.

Brandi Hephner LaBanc, vice chancellor for student affairs, and her team lead efforts to bring Boys State to Ole Miss. She said the university is the perfect setting for it.

“We are thrilled about hosting Boys State and see it as another opportunity to serve Mississippians,” Hephner LaBanc said. “We believe our campus will be a perfect setting for them to meaningfully engage, learn and become empowered leaders.”

Chancellor Jeffrey S. Vitter said the partnership between Ole Miss and Boys State is a natural one.

“Both Boys State and the University of Mississippi have a long history of nurturing young leaders and helping them develop their potential, so it’s only natural that we try to combine our efforts,” Vitter said. “We welcome all the Boys State participants to our campus and look forward to watching them mature and begin to serve our state and nation in the years to come. We expect great things from all of them.”

U.S. Congressman Gregg Harper, Mississippi District 3, will speak today (Memorial Day) the Ford Center at 5 p.m. Earlier, State Representative, Jay Hughes, Oxford, District 12, addressed the group at a Memorial Day service earlier today in the Grove. (Link to story)

Additionally, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly, Gov. Phil Bryant, Attorney Gen. Jim Hood, Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Cindy Hyde-Smith, as well as State Rep. Jay Hughes, D-Oxford, and State Rep. Shane Aguirre, R-Tupelo, and several other officials are among those who will address the delegates.

Allison Buchanan is CEO of New Media Lab LLC, parent company of HottyToddy.com She can be reached at allison.buchanan@hottytoddy.com