Milford chronicle., 1937-05-14
WILMINGTON GIRL
SPELLING QUEEN
[Confisaed from First Page]

cnance at Lne nrSt prize OF $6UU, the
second of $500. or one of a number
of SIS and $50 prizes.
Martha Leahy knows she will have
to spell down the stiffest kind OF
competition to gain the national
championship for Delaware. But she
believes she can do it, And SO do
her parents. AS her daddy put It
Sunday, "It's in the bag"
Sitting In her home at 914 West
2Srd street. Wilmington. Sunday af-
ternoon with her parents. Mr.. and
Mrs. Ferdinand L. s. Snyder, Mar
tina Leahy told how she does II, and
how she looks forward to that big
trip to Washington with its banquet
ON the eve of the national finals. and
the many interesting things Il will
enable her to see--almost for the
first time.
The Snyders have been residents
of Wilmington nine years. They
went there from Baltimore, but Mar
tha Leahy was born In Norfolk, Va.
Mr.. Snyder is In the engineering de-
partment of the DUPONT Company.
They have one other child, son,
Robert, 20 years old.
Martha Leahy was In Washington
once before, but then she was very
young girl and she remembers little
about It. There are two main things
she wants to do. She wants to visit
Mount Vernon. and she wants to go
to the top of the Washington Mon
ument.
But these are not the only things
that draw her interest. Delightedly,
she looks forward to everything"
The national championship meet
holds no fears for Martha Leahy.
Poise and self-possession are the
most striking elements of her en-
gaging personality.
Brutality winning Word
The word on which she won Sat
urday is an easy one-"brutality."
The runner-up, Evelyn Wilczynska
of st. Hedwig's Parochial School.
stumbled on 'leprous." She put in
an extra "e" Martha Leahy had to
correct this word and spell the next
before the crown was hers.
Though the last word she spelled |
was easy, winning the champion
ship was no walkaway, she declared. |
"They were all fine spelIers," she |
exclaimed. Forty-three of them came
from schools in all parts ufs~' the !
State.
Entrants who stood up until q
few minutes before the bee narrow
ed down to Martha Leahy and Eve
lyn we're Virginia Toy of st. Pat
rick's School, who failed on "Acad-
emician;" Agnes Schmid, Sacred
Heart School, who missed "capil-
Iarity;" William Barnes. st. AIMS
School, "Caravansary" and Isabelle !
Allen. willard Hall School, "obitu-
ary."
Hundreds of persons. parents and
friends of the entrants and those
who were just interested spectators,
filled the big auditorium for the
finals.
When Martha Leahy came through
to victory amid a burst of applause,
she Immediately was the center of
enthusiastic admirers. Theodore G.
Joslin, president of the News-Jour-
nal Company, congratulated the win
ner and her mother, who was Ia the
audience. He promised that every
courtesy and convenience would be
theirs during the Washington trip.
They will live at one of the finest
hotels in the capital.
Spelling Bee Praised
School authorities warmly praised |
the Delaware Spelling Bee, which F,
they declared was highly worthwhile
In its entirety. Many of these off, I
cials attended the finals and we're {
guests of the News-Journal Com
pany at a luncheon In the school
cafeteria for contestants and their
friends. e
Among those attending were the \
Governor and Mrs. Richard C. Nc
MULLEN. The Governor gave a talk "
It the luncheon In which he en-
that IL is not possible to Il
,e too good a speller. Mr.. Joslin
all the entrants for
aying reached the finals. lie b
banked the school officials for their II
The Rev. j. Francis I,
'ucker, pastor of st. Anthony's G
hurch, made the invocation. IL
Others who spoke were: DIR. Cora
/. Pickett, dean OF girls at the Pierre Ell
!. dupont High School; Carl Smith, M
son of the national poet laureate, to
pupil In the ninth grade at the NJ
lexis I. dupont High School. who
cad verses from his fathers poems; er
le Rev. Leo w. O'Neil. superintend- da
At of the parochial schools; DR.. II. Jc
Holloway, State Superintendent of M
ublic Instruction; Or. s. M. Stout an
II. Superintendent of the Whining
N Schools. w
Among the luncheon guests was CO
ildred Welsh. the 1885 State Ar
hampton.
John b. Hopkins. former Mayor fol
! Dover, who was judge from La
ent county, announced that over Nc
period of years he had compiled
list of rs difficult words and that WI
Il of 1000 persons who had tried Mr.
spell the whole list, not one had Ia
cceeded.
Later 1t was announced from the tai
,ge that the list had been spelled en-,
rrectiy by John @. Leach. vice. Iry
esident and treasurer OF Beacon \
llege. who was Wilmington Wi
jge. Mr.
An oddity of the finals was the Mr.
It that the runner-up. Evelyn Will \