Former U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner will be the keynote speaker at the Alabama Alumni Association Butler County Chapter’s Oct. 3 meeting.

Bonner, a graduate of Fort Dale Academy who was born in Selma and raised in Pine Apple in Wilcox County, left Congress in August to become vice chancellor of government relations and economic development at the University of Alabama System.

“While I had every intention of completing this term, sometimes opportunities come along that are so rare – and so special – that it forces you to alter even your best-made plans,” Bonner said.

Bonner represented Alabama’s 1st Congressional District for more than a decade. He was first elected in November of 2002, and was reelected five more times. Bonner never lost an election and ran unopposed in the November 2012 general election.

While in Congress, Bonner served on the House Appropriations Committee, as well as three key subcommittees: Defense; Commerce, Justice & Science; and Financial Services.

Bonner has received numerous awards including the Distinguished Public Service Award in 2013, which is the highest honor the U.S. Navy bestows on a civilian.

He also received the 2012 “Gov. Bob Riley Building a Better Alabama Award” from the Business Council of Alabama. In 2000, the College of Communications at the University of Alabama honored him as their Outstanding Alumnus in Public Relations.

Tickets to the event, which will be held at “The Kitchen” at 600 Terrell St., in Greenville at 6 p.m., are $25 for adults and $10 for students.

Those planning to attend should RSVP by Monday.

For more information or to RSVP call Marianne Russell at (334) 382-7531 or email her at oldmacd@camelliacom.com.