A quick glance would suggest Oct. 3 was a busy day at Superior Restaurant.

Taking a closer look at the patrons, one might recognize a former mayor of the borough, a former columnist with The Morning Call, a number of veterans, one of Emmaus High School’s instructional assistants and an old friend who drove three days from Colorado for this special get-together.

On Oct. 3, 72 of Emmaus High School’s Class of 1961 got together for a reunion dinner.

As Carol Mutchlen explained to The Press, “We’ve become closer as the years have passed.”

A few told The Press at the height of COVID-19, it was a difficult time. Many missed this yearly tradition which was canceled for two years.

Mutchlen started planning this year’s event in April. “This was always a special class,” Mutchlen said. “Everyone always got along.” The reunions help maintain and strengthen their bond because “we just seem to pickup from where we left off.”

EHS has a special motto “Once a Hornet, always a Hornet.” Instructional assistant Joann “Cookie” Litzenberger proudly wore her T-shirt with that motto. Her high school memories are so special, she went back to EHS to work.

Back in high school, Litzenberger was a majorette in the band. She said her classmates called her the “instigator of the class.” Emmaus has always been home and these reunions “feel absolutely wonderful,” Litzenberger said.

Audrey Gardner Racines is another lifelong resident of Emmaus. These reunions are special to her because they reflect a period of time when they were kids. “It’s humbling. I’m able to keep in touch with a few who still live nearby.” Her favorite high school memory is 11th grade because of all the activities she was able to share with her lifelong friends.

“Call Me Kelly” was a popular column in The Morning Call for over 20 years. The man behind the column, Jim Kelly is a very proud EHS graduate. “It’s always good to see old friends,” Kelly told The Press. “We have always been a close class. Everyone gets along with everyone,” Kelly said.

Kelly said over a third of his 72 classmates present at the special dinner are military veterans. Of those, many were drafted to Vietnam.

One of Kelly’s veteran classmates is Gordon Kemmerer who served in the Navy for eight years as part of the submarine service.

How important was it for Kemmerer to take part in this reunion? Important enough to drive 21,000 miles from his home in Colorado. As he explained, these are the people he grew-up with, went to school with and went to church with. “We did a lot of stuff together.”

Also attending was Robert Bastian, the former Emmaus mayor and uncle to Emmaus Police Chief Jason Apgar.

Both EHS and the borough itself have a special place in the heart of Bastian, who spoke with pride of his classmates, his time as mayor, as well as days as a part-time police officer.

“We were always active in everything ... basketball, chorus ...” Bastian said.

Laughing at old high school anecdotes and cherishing new memories, the friendships forged in the hallways of EHS so many decades ago have only strengthen over time.