‘His impact will be felt for generations.’ Beshear, others pay tribute to P.G. Peeples
P.G. Peeples left his mark on many people in Lexington and Kentucky.
Peeples, 80, died Tuesday, April 28, at his office at the Urban League, where he spent 55 years as its president and CEO. During his tenure at the nonprofit, the civil rights leader helped expand job training, scholarship programs and was a pioneer in affordable housing in Lexington.
He was a fixture in the city’s civil rights movement, pushing for equality in the city’s institutions from city council chambers to kindergarten classrooms. He served on dozens of boards and commissions in Lexington and Kentucky during his five decades of public service.
Mayor Linda Gorton has known Peeples for decades.
“P.G. Peeples fought to make Lexington a better place for over five decades through the Urban League,” Gorton said. “It was an honor to work with him to improve education, job training, housing and more. We began a long friendship when we served together on the very first FCPS (Fayette County Public Schools) Equity Council. I loved him dearly! Our city is a better place because of his strong leadership.”
In a social media post, Gov. Andy Beshear praised Peeples for his tenacity and decades of public service.
“Kentucky has lost a true leader with the passing of P.G. Peeples, a civil rights champion who led the Lexington Urban League for five decades and transformed communities across Kentucky and beyond. He championed civil rights, education, affordable housing and more and made an undeniable difference in the lives of many,” Beshear said. “This is a great loss, but his impact will be felt for generations.“
An avid University of Kentucky basketball fan, the civil rights leader was also friends with former UK basketball coach John Calipari. In a social media post, Calipari said Peeples became a mentor to him.
“His accomplishments are too many to mention but the impact he had on people both young and old is amazing,” Calipari said. “He helped me build a program that brought people together and reached out to help people throughout the state. We had continued to talk weekly including yesterday morning.”
This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 1:30 PM.
