For the past several months, supporters of former coach Don Lay have battled opponents over the name of the new Dixie High School baseball field, and on Tuesday, Sept. 15, the Washington County School District Board of Education will have a final vote to determine the name of the field. Regardless of the fact that Don Lay holds a place among other Utah Sports Hall of Fame coaches, opponents to naming the new Dixie High School baseball field after him believe that the new field should not be named after any one individual. Even though Dixie High School Principal Sharla Campbell has stated that Lay’s name would be placed on a “legacy wall,” Lay’s supporters formed a Facebook Page and a change.org petition to generate support for their cause to also keep the same name as the former field.
Don Lay moved to southern Utah in 1958, starting a winning baseball program at Hurricane High School. In the fall of 1965, he was hired to coach basketball at Dixie High School, and while there, he also rebuilt the baseball program and started the Letterman’s Club. Lay also served as the assistant principle for many years. He led the Flyers to Utah State Baseball Championships in 1973 and 1974. He retired from coaching in 1987. By the time he retired from Dixie High School in 1987, he was an icon at the school and in the area, and the baseball field was named after him.
When the new baseball diamond was constructed for Dixie High School, it was announced that it would be named simply “Flyer Field” after the Dixie High School mascot instead of “Don Lay Flyer Field,” something the family of Lay said they believed unthinkable. Merry Dawn Johnson, daughter of Don Lay, said the baseball field at Dixie High School was supposed to remain named after Lay “in perpetuity.”
Johnson points to a letter from Dixie High School from 1987 wherein the school stated: “In a final tribute to a GREAT COACH and a DEAR FRIEND Dixie High School will proudly display a name sign proclaiming ‘COACH DON LAY’S FLYER FIELD’ which will be maintained as a perpetual designation of his contribution to the GOLD, BLUE and WHITE of DIXIE HIGH SCHOOL.”
Johnson said before his father arrived at Dixie High School, there was no baseball field.
“He went to business men in the community,” Johnson said. “He got his friends to come and help, and he basically built that baseball field out of nothing. It was alkaline soil, tamarack bushes, and they built it from nothing with a lot of donations and time from the community. It wasn’t just him, but he organized it. He was a great organizer.”
The Washington County School District Board of Education will meet at 4 p.m. on Tuesday at the School District offices at 121 W. Tabernacle in St. George to come to a final decision on the fate of the new field. The public is invited to comment, but for those who wish to speak, filling out a WCSD Form 50 is required. These forms will also be made available prior to the meeting.
