DIRECT QUOTE: email from UNLV Official to UNLV community Dec 16, 2016: "The UNLV School of Social Work faculty and staff are saddened by the news of the passing of Leroy Pelton, Professor Emeritus of the School of Social Work. An advocate for children’s welfare and the homeless, he was well respected both on campus and in the community, and he will be missed dearly. Our sincere condolences go out to his family and friends, his former colleagues, and the many students he taught during his tenure.

James Frey was born in Eureka, South Dakota, in 1941. His father worked in creamery and his mother was a registered nurse. When Frey was nine, the family, including his twin sister, relocated in Sioux Falls where his dad was plant manager for a dairy. He joined the YMCA in the fourth grade and ended up working for them until around the age of 22. He attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls, graduating with a major in sociology and a minor in history. After graduation, he worked for three years at the YMCA in Sioux Falls as program director.