‘Everyone here, this is for you’: New Marshall N. White Community Center opens its doors to the public
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- Artwork at the entrance to the new Marshall N. White Community Center celebrates the life of the late Marshall White, pictured just before the new facility’s ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
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- A crowd gathers in front of the Marshall N. White Community Center for its ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday, May 22, 2025.
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- Ogden Public Services Director Justin Anderson speaks at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Marshall N. White Community Center on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
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- A large crowd watches the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Marshall N. White Community Center on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
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- Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski presents a new badge that Ogden Police officers will be issued — the same style worn by Ogden officers when Marshall White gave his life in the line of duty — during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Marshall N. White Community Center on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
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- Ron White — son of Marshall White — speaks at the ribbon cutting for the new Marshall N. White Community Center on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
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- Ogden City Council Chair Marcia White speaks at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Marshall N. White Center on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
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- Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski and Ron White cut the ribbon on the Marshall N. White Community Center on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
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- Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski (center, left) and Ron White (center, right) celebrate after cutting the ribbon on the Marshall N. White Community Center on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
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- Performers greet the public during the Marshall N. White Community Center’s open house on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
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- A cooking demonstration gets underway at the Marshall N. White Community Center open house on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
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- Pool accessories were activated for the public to see during the Marshall N. White Community Center’s open house on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
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- The public takes advantage of the Marshall N. White Center’s basketball court during the center’s open house Thursday, May 22, 2025.
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- People had the opportunity to sign up for programming and memberships during the Marshall N. White Center’s open house Thursday, May 22, 2025.
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- The Marshall N. White Community Center’s “pool party room” set up for a birthday party during the center’s open house Thursday, May 22, 2025.
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- The view from the Marshall N. White Center’s field house running track, pictured Thursday, May 22, 2025.
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- Exercise equipment at the Marshall N. White Center gets some of its first use during the new facility’s open house on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
OGDEN — After nearly two years of construction, Ogden officially has a community center that is undeniably Ogden’s once again.
Amidst great fanfare on Thursday, dignitaries and the public alike came together to celebrate the new Marshall N. White Community Center’s ribbon cutting and open house. The new center opens just shy of two years after the original 1968-built Marshall N. White Community Center officially closed its doors and the rebuilding process began.
Like its predecessor, the 68,000-square-foot community center bears the name of Marshall N. White, who lost his life in the line of duty with the Ogden Police Department. White was also a United States Army veteran and led the Ogden branch of the NAACP for a time.
“The original Marshall N. White Center was constructed in 1968, five years after Officer White was killed in the line of duty in 1963,” Ogden City noted in a press release earlier this month. “It became the first city-owned building in Utah named for a person of color and served for over 50 years as a vital gathering place for generations of Ogden residents. With the support of Officer White’s family, the Ogden City Council decided to demolish and rebuild the center on its historic site, ensuring it continues to meet the needs of this growing community.”
During Thursday’s opening ceremony, Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski said the new Marshall N. White Community Center is a testament to the Ogden spirit.
“We are not afraid to do work,” he said. “We don’t let other people do it for us. We do it ourselves. We roll up our sleeves. We have the blue collar work ethic and an attitude in this town of getting it done — and that’s what took place here. We got it done. We got it done.”
He noted that there was an army of people that helped to make the new community center happen from city workers to community members.
“When I look across this crowd, I see people who have gone through hard things to make this happen, and there was a day we had a lot of disagreement over this project,” he said. “But what I learned from that is that all those people from left to right and everywhere in between, it was no longer about tribalism. It was no longer about good or evil. It’s not you against me or them against us — left, right, whatever. It’s about our future. And that’s what makes Ogden great.”
Nadolski also used the time to announce that the Ogden City Police Department is transitioning to wearing a new badge — or an old one, if you will.
“I’m also proud to say that our Police Department is leaning into the honor and the legacy of Marshall White,” he said. “We are transitioning to the badge that Marshall White wore when he was killed. Just last week, we swore in our first officers using this new badge.”
Following Nadolski was Marshall White’s son, Ron White.
“I was 6 years old when my father passed away in 1963,” Ron said. “Five years after that, the Marshall White Center — the first Marshall White Center — was built. It was a tribute to a great man. At 6 years old, I didn’t know how great, but I assumed from the crowd that was there at the time that he was a great man. And I think he’s looking down upon us today, looking at the same crowd and he’s very proud.”
He then declared that this will be a space for everyone.
“Everyone here, this is for you,” he said. “This is for the city of Ogden. I want for Ogden the same thing I want for my family — to be the best that you’re capable of being. That may take some hard work, but we know how to do that, don’t we? We’re not afraid of work.”
Ogden City Council Chair Marcia White said the new center is far more than just a building.
“This is a promise that we had to keep,” she said. “It took us a while to get there, but it was a promise that we had to keep, and thank you for your patience and asking questions about how we are going to get there because it is a much better place to be right now. But it’s a commitment to our families, neighbors and the future of Ogden.”
She added that Marshall N. White Community Center that opened in this week is, in some ways, not much different than the one that opened in 1968.
“Today is probably not much different than it meant to those then,” she said. “It’s a place for kids to learn and grow. It’s a place for seniors and almost-seniors to stay active and be active. It’s a place for families to connect and neighbors to become friends.”
Following the community remarks, Ron White and and Mayor Nadolski grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the ribbon and let the public inside.
As the public began streaming into the new facility, Ron White told the Standard-Examiner his feelings on seeing so much of Ogden turnout for Thursday’s festivities.
“It’s fantastic,” he said. “It’s awesome. It’s a new day. It’s indescribable the feelings I have right now.”
He said the Marshall White Center has meant so much to the community throughout the years and the new center will only build on that legacy.
“It has been a place for people to come and meet,” he said. “As you can see, the people have come and they have met, and now they’re going to see the inside and they’re going to come back again. It’s going to be more magical than the first center was.
“It was a long road, it was hard and at times, we didn’t think we were going to make it. But now that we’re here, looking back in the rearview mirror, it wouldn’t be as wonderful of a feeling if it hadn’t been a little hard.”
Nadolski told the Standard-Examiner the turnout Thursday is indicative of what the center has meant to the public.
“It really represents the drive and the spirit and the hunger for togetherness that lives here in Ogden,” he said. “There are people here from every corner of every neighborhood of all of Ogden and beyond, and that’s what Ogden does. That’s the Ogden way. That’s what we’re famous for. To see everybody show up like this is really heartwarming.”
Before being elected mayor in 2023, Nadolski was on the Ogden City Council throughout the process to bring the new Marshall White Center to fruition.
“The things that are most fulfilling in life are always hard,” he said. “If it was easy, it would’ve been done already. As hard as it was, it’s just more fulfilling to look back at the journey we all went on, especially to be on the Council side when we funded and approved it and to be the mayor that gets to build it … has been a life experience I’ll never forget.”
Following the ribbon cutting, the public was free to roam the new Marshall N. White Community Center. Instructors were on hand to speak about programming that will be offered, guided tours were available, performers roamed the halls and people had a chance to try out everything from the new basketball court to the exercise equipment. There were also opportunities to sign up for memberships and programming and buy merchandise.
Ron White said the opening of this new space makes him excited for the future.
“I’m looking forward to the people it produces — the young people that come out of there in the next generation,” he said.
The Marshall N. White Community Center opened fully to the public at noon on Friday.
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