BELLAIRE • MEMORIAL • RIVER OAKS • TANGLEWOOD • WEST UNIVERSITY

Mother-Son Reunion on Mother’s Day

By Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld, Staff writer | May 10, 2016

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(From left) This group of boys became friends at West University Elementary School and will soon graduate from high school and head to college. (From left) John Alford, Chapman University; Kobi Owen, Tulane University; Jackson Cook, Sewanee: University of the South; Joe Gobillot, Vanderbilt (starting fall 2017); Paul Labanowski, University of Michigan; Michael Grams, University of Oklahoma; Peyton Ross, Louisiana State University; Patrick Leyendecker, Texas A&M; Reed Petersen, University of Texas; Sam Bastian, University of Michigan; Andrew Rowden, University of Texas; Douglas Moore, University of Texas; Thomas Watson, Texas A&M; Jimmy Winston, Baylor University. (Not pictured: Avery Tiras, Vanderbilt and Ryan Branberry, University of Texas).

In the spring of 2003, the Bastian family and the Ross family moved to West University from Tampa and New Orleans, respectively. Their sons, Sam Bastian and Peyton Ross, ended up on the same fall soccer team and an instant friendship was formed between these families. In their former cities, Ann Bastian and Rhett Ross had been in bunko groups so they decided to start a group with moms they had just met in their boys’ kindergarten classes at West University Elementary School.

The group started with 12 ladies and met once a month. As the years went on, more and more moms joined and the bunko group grew to over 25 ladies.

These moms became great friends over bunko from the time their sons were in kindergarten. The boys will soon graduate from high school and head to college. Moms present at the Mother’s Day reunion included: Lisa Watson, Tiffany Leyendecker, Cindy Cook, Tami Owen, Lee Ann Moore, Penny Grams, Dallas Rowden, Melissa Granberry, Rhett Ross, Kelly Labanowski, Kim Petersen, Julie Alford, Ann Bastian, Lori Gobillot, Jennifer Tiras and Laura Winston.

This spring, their sons will be graduating high school and heading to college. So this past Mother's Day, they had a reunion of the core group and their sons at Lori and Ted Gobillot’s home to celebrate the boys’ high school graduations and get together. Even though the boys went to different high schools throughout Houston, it was evident at the party that the boys will always have a strong bond. Two of the boys – Sam Bastian and Paul Labanowski - will even be rooming together at The University of Michigan. After all these years, the moms are all still great friends too.

Editor’s Note: Check out where the Class of 2016 is heading to college in our online database and add where your senior is heading to college, too. New this year is the feature for seniors to message each other through our website.