Senate renames State Road 102 the Borgstrom Brothers Memorial Highway; family honored on floor

The Utah Senate on Day 24 approved House Bill 32 to designate State Road 102 as the Borgstrom Brothers Memorial Highway, and senators observed a moment of silence and heard extended tributes to the family during floor remarks.

Senator Sandel, who presented the bill, told colleagues the Borgstrom brothers — Clyde, Roland, Rulon and Leroy — were the only full four–Gold Star family from the area who all died in World War II. Sandel outlined where each brother was lost in 1944 and said their story drew national attention, including from President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

"When his country needs him, he will go," Sandel said while recounting the family’s sacrifice, and asked the Senate to observe a moment of silence.

The bill was placed before the Senate under suspension of the rules to allow immediate consideration. Senators voted under that suspension; the chair recorded the roll call as 'aye' for the senators present and the presiding officer directed a moment of silence to honor the Borgstrom family. The guests in the gallery who were recognized included grandnieces Jennifer Nelson and Marilee Gardner and members of American Legion Post 76.

Why this matters: The designation creates a permanent, named memorial on a state highway and was accompanied on the floor by testimony connecting the local road to a multigenerational wartime sacrifice. The ceremonial recognition also brought family members and veterans’ organizations to the gallery.

What’s next: Administrative steps to install signage and update state highway records were described as the implementation path by the sponsor; the Senate passed the bill and the bill will proceed through final enactment processes.