The Boys and Girls Club of the Virginia Peninsula honored Dr. Harry D. Simpson Jr. for his lifelong participation with the organization by naming its Gloucester club for him Tuesday night.

The building that houses the local club at Hayes Shopping Center, with a portion of the building for rent to other organizations, will now be known as the Harry D. Simpson Jr. D.D.S. Youth Center.

Simpson, who resides at Ware Neck, has served on the club’s regional board for 43 years and helped start the Gloucester club in 2002.

More than 60 people, including family, friends and club officials, gathered for the recognition ceremony for Simpson at the Gloucester club Tuesday night. Among the tributes paid Simpson was that of Steve Kast, president and chief executive officer of the regional club, who read a list of comments he had heard about Simpson ranging from humorous ones like "good eater" to the more serious "an absolute treasure."

Kast thanked Simpson for his ...