Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (1925-1984)
Dee Glen Smith worked for his father’s small grocery store throughout his youth. He graduated from Box Elder High School in 1943, after which he quickly joined the US Army. During a leave of absence, Dee married his high school sweetheart Ida Woodyatt in May, 1944. After an honorable discharge as a corporal from the Army, Dee returned to again help his father run his store, soon taking over many responsibilities from his father.
Dee later joined with a partner and expanded his business, Smith’s Grocery, into Ogden, Roy and Layton, Utah. After his father passed away, Dee took over as president and began to expand throughout the region, including stores in Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona.
Dee died June 30, 1984 in Salt Lake City, Utah, leaving behind a billion-dollar business that included 128 stores and 6,500 employees.
Utah State University began planning for a multi-use assembly center in 1967. Its purpose was to “serve all the large crowd needs of the university proper, municipal or civic large group needs.” The structure would serve as the new home of Aggie basketball, replacing the George Nelson Field House which was constructed between 1938 and 1940.
Opening with its first game against Ohio State University on December 1, 1970, the new building seated over 10,000 spectators and was considered one of the best basketball venues in the Intermountain West. By 1971, the facility was being referred to as the Spectrum, and was subsequently named for Dee.
Nate & Heather Wickizer Men’s Basketball Locker Room and Lounge
Room 117
When Utah State’s Men’s Basketball team takes the court at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, a particularly tall fan is often found in a front-row seat directly across from the Aggie bench. Nate Wickizer, a 7-footer who could make anywhere in the building a decent seat, was a four-year letterman for the Aggies from 1992-95. He still ranks no. 3 in program history for total blocks (148).
Along with his wife Heather and brother Jon, Nate played a crucial role in remodeling USU’s locker rooms in November 2009.
When asked about his fondest memory from his playing days at Utah State, Nate answered, “More than anything, I remember the fans, the crowd, the Spectrum. That is what stays with you.”
MerLynn Pitcher Women’s Basketball Locker Room and Lounge
Room 120
MerLynn Pitcher was affiliated with the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, serving as president before her graduation from Utah State University in 1963 with a major in history and minor in physical education. She subsequently taught at South Cache Junior High School and Preston Junior High School.
MerLynn began working for the Bountiful City Recreation Department in 1969, and also worked as a water fitness program director.
A Brigham City native, MerLynn served on both USU’s Board of Trustees and the House Corporation Board.
Rod Tueller Men’s Basketball Team Room
Room 121
The Utah State basketball team meeting room in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum was officially named the Rod Tueller Team Room when it was dedicated at the Aggies’ home game against Idaho on March 4, 2005.
Rod served as the head basketball coach at Utah State from 1980-88, compiling a 139-120 record while leading the Aggies to three NCAA and one NIT appearances. His postseason numbers are second only to Ladell Andersen in USU history.
Three of the 16 players named to USU’s all-century team played while Rod was the Aggies’ head coach, including Greg Grant, Dean Hunger and Brian Jackson.
Prior to assuming the head coaching position, Rod was an assistant at the school under Dutch Belnap from 1974-79. He also spent seven years as USU’s athletics director from 1985-92.
Rod, who was born in Cedar City, Utah, graduated from Utah State in 1959. After graduation, he was an assistant at Logan High School, his alma mater, for two years and the head coach at Altamont High School for four years. He spent the 1965-73 seasons as the head basketball coach at Logan High School before beginning his long-time association with Utah State.
“Hod” (1900-1980) and Clover (1903-1999) Sanders Room
Room 302
Born in Kaysville, Utah in 1900 and later raised in Farmington, Utah, Newell V. Sanders — nicknamed “Hod” — learned to work when very young. He was only five years old when his mother was left alone to raise seven children. After graduating from Davis High, Hod lacked the funds needed to move on to college. It took him four years of work to later finance his education at Utah State Agricultural College.
Hod took the campus by storm, becoming captain of both the Aggie football and basketball teams. In 1927, he graduated with a business degree. That fall, Hod took a coaching job at South Cache High where he fell in love with Clover Johnson, the girls’ physical education teacher. Soon afterward they married, and practically penniless, the young couple moved first to New York, then to California where Hod began working for the National Biscuit Company. All the while, the couple dreamed of someday owning their own business.
Answering a newspaper ad for a route salesman for the Bluebird Potato Chip Company, Hod went to work and began formulating his plan to start a business. He absorbed all he could about the potato chip industry and even had a few potato chip bags printed up bearing the Sanders name, calling their dream venture “Hod Sanders Clover Club Potato Chips.”
In 1938 the Sanders family moved back to Kaysville. Their possessions consisted of a car, Clover’s beloved piano and $600 in savings. On a 1973 bag of chips, Hod told his story: “We live in a quiet little country town of Kaysville, Utah, about 17 miles north of Salt Lake City. Almost all the folks here have some cooking specialty like homemade chili sauce, apple pie and chokecherry jelly. Clover always made the best potato chips in town — or in the world, for that matter... So we decided to go into the potato chip business back in 1938. Clover was willing to trade in her piano on a used truck, and with help from the bank we were in business. I did the potato buying and selling to the grocery stores while Clover supervised the production.”
G.H. “Herb” (1924-2015) & Helen A. (1927-2017) Champ Conference Room
Room 308
G.H. Herb Champ was born on November 18, 1924 in Logan, Utah to Frederick Percival and Frances Winton Champ. He attended Logan City Schools and New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico before serving in the infantry during World War II. He saw combat during the Battle of the Bulge, where he evaded capture after a German advance, permanently suffering frostbite in the process. He later participated in the liberation of Norway.
After the war Herb returned to Logan to attend Utah State Agricultural College (now Utah State University), where he earned a degree in commerce in 1949. After graduation from USU, Herb began his career at the Boise, Idaho branch of the Champ family-owned Utah Mortgage Loan Corporation (UMLC). It was during this time that he met and fell in love with Helen Mae Adams, who he married in 1952. Herb and Helen returned to Logan in 1957.
Herb always supported the business school and athletics programs, and remained a loyal fan of the football and basketball teams. He was a member of the Old Main Society, received USU’s Distinguished Service Award and its College of Business Distinguished Executive Award, and was a Life Member of the USU Partners Program. Days before his 90th birthday, Herb and Helen were awarded USU’s Spirit of Old Main Award for lifetime dedication to the university.
Helen was an active part of the Logan community. She especially loved her service with Tri-Delta Sorority, Utah State University, where she served as president of the Alumni advisors. She enjoyed her time and relationships formed at A.C. Women’s Club, Logan Study Guild, Clara Barton Chapter of Eastern Star, the Ladies Organization of Logan Golf & Country Club and Logan Dance Club.
*Note: All bios are current and up-to-date as of Summer 2022.