"BILLY" SPEARY IS GIVEN WELCOME IN NANTICOKE

William "Billy" Speary, three-time national A.A.U. champ, who defended his bantamweight title on the West Coast last week, was given a royal welcome this afternoon at the Lehigh Valley station in Wilkes-Barre, when the train carrying the fighting party arrived. A large delegation of admirers, headed by Chairman Frank Chicknosky, greeted the scrappy battler as he stepped from the train. Members of the Nanticoke high school band, under the direction of George Sheeder, played several selections at the station.

A huge motorcade, carrying placards and streamers through Wilkes-Barre, down to Plymouth, to West Nanticoke, Speary's home town, over to Nanticoke and to Central Park.

Ed Connolly of the State Theatre and his assistant, Edward Superko, took pictures in front of the theatre of the motorcade. These will be shown at the theatre in the near future.

At the park, Mayor Stanley Ostroski gave the welcome address and members of the welcoming committee gave talks. Amplifiers were installed in order that the large crowd could hear the messages of the speakers.

A banquet is being planned for Speary and a large number of committees have been named to make the affair a huge success. No definite date has been set as yet for the affair. Sport writers from New York, Philadelphia and Wyoming Valley will be invited and several prominent speakers will be present. Speary will be a member of the 1940 Olympic team.