AKRON, Ohio — The baseball field at Old Forge will now be known as the Marc Landels Field @ Old Forge thanks to a unanimous vote by the Akron Board of Education.

Akron Public Schools announced the change in a news release, stating that Landels, who died in February this year at the age of 57 from cancer, “left a lasting mark on the region.”

“Marc Landels, a respected umpire and 2019 inductee into the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame, was deeply involved in local sports throughout his life,” the release reads. “After graduating from Wadsworth High School in 1987 and attending The University of Akron, Marc became a fixture in the Summit County Umpires Association and was widely known for his expertise and integrity on the field.”

The district said the field had “fallen into disrepair” back in the early 2000s but that it was restored. They said Landels assisted with this restoration.

“’Marc Landels Field @ Old Forge’” will now stand as a tribute to a man whose passion for baseball and service to others helped shape opportunities for countless student-athletes and community players across Akron,” the release reads.