In a recent announcement by the Ogden City Council, members are set to cast their votes on a proposition to honor a local hero. On April 1, 2025, the council will decide whether or not the soccer fields at the revivified Marshall White Community Center should bear the name of Officer Nathan Lyday, an Ogden native fallen in the line of duty. The proposal, brought forward by Ron White, aims to celebrate the auspiciousness of Lyday's public service and his fervor for the sport of soccer, as reported by Ogden City.
The Marshall White Community Center is at the heart of Ogden's civic life, spanning 68,000 square feet the center is renowned for promoting mentorship and communal bondings, Ogden Police Chief Jake Sube expressed his support for the initiative, highlighting the shared principles of Sergeant Marshall "Doc" White and Officer Lyday, both of whom dedicated their lives to safeguarding the city's people, as the city gears up for the grand reopening the first week of May, there's a growing sentiment that the soccer fields' renaming would be a fitting tribute to Lyday's admiration for both the city he served and the game he loved.
The center itself is named after Dr. Marshall N. White, the first Black detective sergeant in the Ogden Police Department, whose extensive-range contributions to the city extended far beyond his law enforcement duties. During his career, he dismantled gang violence, amicably resolved disputes on Ogden's 25th Street, and even protected dignitaries, such as former heavyweight boxing champion Ezzard Charles, which earned him immeasurable respect across community lines.
Furthermore, Dr. White was a champion of youth, founding Ogden's inaugural Black youth center and tirelessly advocating for unity through recreational programs, after he was killed in the line of duty on October 15, 1963, his legacy was immortalized when a newly established recreation center was named in his honor in November of the same year, and now, decades later, Officer Nathan Lyday's name is poised to complement the center's distinguished homage to community heroes.
Lyday, who died in the line of duty in 2020, was known not just for his protective spirit but also for leveraging his love for soccer to engage with the community he treasured, "My father believed in the power of mentorship, of guiding young people and creating a sense of belonging," Ron White elucidated, "Officer Lyday lived those same values—both in his service and in his love of soccer, which he used to connect with others," he said, as per Ogden City. The upcoming vote will determine if the soccer fields will further echo these core values that both men represented to the Ogden community.
