Two 1966 Junction City High School graduates, twin sisters Janet and Jill Bunker, returned to their hometown Monday evening as the keynote guests for the Celebration of Teaching Banquet.

They performed and reminisced about some of their experiences in a long and successful acting and singing career that has seen them perform on shows ranging from Happy Days to American Bandstand,  and as the original Budweiser Twins in national television and radio commercials.

Janet Bunker told an audience of several hundred teachers and USD 475 employees that both sisters believe “passionately in music education for all students.” Those remarks were greeted by a big round of applause.  Jill Bunker called teachers, ” the lifeblood of our country.”

Janet and Jill are the daughters of the late Dr. Herb and Eudora Bunker.

The twin sisters got their big break on the national stage in Budweiser Beer commercials.  Janet remembered they formed a group their very first week as students at Kansas State University. They performed across the state, and then entered a contest.  “And we actually won the national prize in this contest. And it happened to be sponsored by Budweiser Beer, who then asked us if we would like to move to California and advertise for them.” She joked, ” So I guess you could say Budweiser Beer was our stepping stone to Hollywood.”

The Bunker twins were introduced at the banquet by their former piano teacher when they were little girls, Ramona Printz-Smith. “These darling little girls were nurtured by their musical mother and father, who were both determined to give them and their brother Matthew all the opportunities to develop all their talents. They were numerous.”

Today Matthew is a professor at the University of Alabama, a successful author of several books on media law, and writes many articles for professional journals.