Ogden leaders mull naming community center fieldhouse after slain officer Nathan Lyday

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Ogden leaders are considering naming the Marshall White Center fieldhouse after Nathan Lyday, a police officer killed in the line of duty in 2020.
The center, focus of an ongoing rebuild, is named for an officer shot and killed in 1963.
Lyday's killing while responding to a domestic violence call prompted an outpouring from across the state

OGDEN — The fieldhouse of the Ogden community center named for a police officer killed in the line of duty could take on the name of another officer killed while serving the city.

The administration of Mayor Ben Nadolski proposes that the large football and soccer structure at the Marshall White Center be named the Nathan James Lyday Fieldhouse to honor Lyday, who was killed in the line of duty on May 28, 2020. Ron White, the son of Marshall White — the community center namesake — came forward with the proposal and addressed the Ogden City Council about the matter Tuesday.

Lyday "is part of a unique population of people who happened to sacrifice their lives in the line of duty. For that he has earned the respect of all the citizens of Ogden and, indeed, the nation," White said.

Marshal White, then a 14-year veteran of the Ogden Police Department, was shot while pursuing a suspect on Oct. 16, 1963, and died of his injuries three days later, leaving behind his wife, Ron White and two other children. Lyday, 24, was shot and killed by a man while responding to a domestic violence call at an Ogden house. Naming the fieldhouse after Lyday is "the least we can do to honor his sacrifice," Ron White said.

The Marshall White Center — a recreation, sports and community center that's served a modest neighborhood near Ogden's core — was originally completed in 1968. It was torn down in 2023, and a larger $34 million structure is being built in its place. The new building, set to open in May, will host a range of activities with the enclosed fieldhouse containing a field that can be used year-round for soccer and football.

The new Marshall White Center structure in Ogden still getting the finishing touches on Wednesday. Officials are considering naming the center's fieldhouse after Nathan Lyday, a police officer killed in 2020. (Photo: Tim Vandenack, KSL.com)

The City Council will formally take up the proposed naming on April 1, but two council members, Richard Hyer and Shaun Myers expressed support. "The administration believes that naming the fieldhouse in honor of Officer Lyday will serve not only as a tribute to him, but also as a powerful reminder of the bravery and dedication of all the city's first responders," reads supporting City Council documents for the proposal.

Lyday's killing prompted an outpouring from across the state.

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