TUPELO - Jack Reed Jr. considers himself lucky.

The Republican mayoral candidate was born to a good family, received a top-notch education, married his true love and raised a solid family while working a fulfilling job.

"I'm fortunate," Reed said. "I feel like the luckiest person in the world, and I enjoy my life. My motto is that God wants life to be a party, and it's up to us to make sure everyone's invited."

Reed tries to leave no one off the guest list. He has mentored at-risk children through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, searched for cures to juvenile diabetes, coached little league and poured countless hours into a dozen or so volunteer organizations - Habitat for Humanity, the Community Development Foundation and the Tupelo Police Athletic League, to name a few.

"It's not some do-gooder-bound duty I'm trying to fulfill," Reed said. "I enjoy giving back."

Born in 1951 to Frances and Jack Reed, the candidate is the oldest of four children and part of a tight-knit family that prides itself on hard work and loyalty.

His grandfather, R.W. Reed, founded the region's iconic Reed's Department Store, which has had a presence for more than 100 years in downtown Tupelo and also has outlets in Starkville, Columbus and at The Mall at Barnes Crossing.

The candidate is currently the company's president and is widely visible through the store's frequent cable TV infomercials, where Reed kindly hawks his trendy wares.

His father, Jack Reed Sr., made a name for himself as a statewide civic leader and staunch proponent of public education. He also ran, unsuccessfully, for governor as a Republican in 1987.

After high school, Reed attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, where he played tennis on the college team. He earned a degree in 1973 and then studied law at the University of Mississippi.

Reed got his first real job with Tupelo's Mitchell McNutt amp& Bush law firm - now Mitchell McNutt amp& Sams. He practiced law there for four years until deciding his heart wasn't in it.

"I had gotten to the point where they might have offered me a partnership in the firm. It's something you buy into, so there would have been financial ties to keep me there for quite some time," Reed said. "I made a decision that I'd rather return to the family business."

It was a comfortable transition for someone who already considered the store a second home; he spent his youth stocking shelves and doing inventory there.

Seven years later, when his father ran for state office, Reed took over as company president.

He still keeps up his law licenses, however, and enjoys using his legal knowledge in business and personal life.

"When someone asks me what my profession is, though, I say 'merchant,'" Reed said. "Sales is my favorite part of the job. A good salesman is not a good talker; he is a good listener."

That philosophy might explain why Reed is uncomfortable selling his most important product these days: himself. Although he might be the best-known of Tupelo's four mayoral candidates, he said he doesn't like talking about himself.

But his public speeches have drawn large crowds and elicited loud laughs as Reed tells sometimes-self-deprecating stories and makes witty quips while sharing his campaign goals.

Those goals include job creation, team building, good neighborhoods, quality education and healthy lifestyles for residents.

Family involved

His family enthusiastically supports his bid for mayor, although Reed has never before run for public office. His father is pleased, and his siblings help knock on doors campaigning.

Wife Lisa and their grown children, Kirk and Jack II, also help. The family appears at important campaign announcements and offer political strategies.

"They care about Tupelo, too," Reed said. "Lisa is modest, and mayor is not her first choice, but she thinks I'd be a great mayor. Kirk loves it; she likes politics. Young Jack is quieter but very loyal. He's proud of his father."

And Reed said he's proud of his children. Kirk lives in Austin and is expecting her first child, and Reed's first grandchild. Jack is a law student at his father's alma mater, Ole Miss.

It was Jack's diagnosis of juvenile diabetes at age 16 that thrust Reed and his wife into the search for a cure through the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Four years ago, the group awarded the couple one of its highest honors - and Reed's proudest accomplishment - as its International Volunteers of the Year.

Now Reed wants to become Tupelo's next mayor. He said it's just another way of giving back to a community that has given him so much.

"I feel like I can make a difference," Reed said. "I feel like I have benefited so much from this great town, and if I can do something in return, then I will do it."