Appropriate ceremonies marked the dedication of the new $225,000 National Guard Armory in Lehighton. Lieutenant Governor Raymond P. Shafer was the principal speaker, stating, "Let us remember that preparedness and peace are the ideals we would have this building symbolize." Geno Merill, Peckville, Lackawanna County, a World War II Congressional Medal of Honor winner, led the estimated 300 people in the Pledge of Allegiance.