Larry Peeler worked alongside John Thornberry when the Clubs’ Thornberry Unit opened its doors in 1967. Peeler went on to coach numerous sporting teams at the Clubs, taking both basketball and baseball teams to the national championships. In 1968, Peeler’s wife, Carolyn Peeler began working as the Clubs’ membership secretary in the administrative office located on 19th Street in Kansas City, Missouri. The Peeler children were also very active in the Clubs, including Anthony Peeler who began attending Boys & Girls Clubs at the age of five. Anthony Peeler learned to play basketball in the Clubs, receiving coaching from his father Larry Peeler, as well as Lester Burks and Alvin Clark, Sr., both past recipients of the Clubs’ Sport Alumni of the Year honor. Anthony Peeler went on to enjoy a 13-year career in the NBA.