Fallen UNC Hero Riley Howell Honored as Jedi Master
Ryan Howell died a hero as he tackled a gunman at The University of North Carolina at Charolotte. Now Howell has been honored as a Jedi Master by LucasFilm for his heroic action that fateful day.
According to the Charlotte Observer, “Those close to Howell, who by all accounts was a huge “Star Wars” fan, say the family was tipped off by Lucasfilm (the production company behind the “Star Wars” franchise) in May that it planned to honor him in a forthcoming book. That book — “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – The Visual Dictionary” — was released by publisher DK on Friday, coinciding with the release of the new film “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.””
The text reads, “Jedi Master and historian Ri-Lee Howell collected many of the earliest accounts of explorations and codifications of the Force in the Aionomica: a two-volume combination of codex, correspondence, and scrapbook. Though much of its contents would later be stored in holocrons (which have since been lost), the physical books have passages written in the hands of the original sages, carefully preserved by Howell.”
A Florida man reached out to LucasFilm in early May informing them of Howell’s love of the Star Wars franchise. The Charlotte Observer continued, “Later that month, Lucasfilm sent a letter to the Howell family offering condolences.
“Riley’s courage and selflessness brings out the Jedi in us all,” wrote Lucas Seastrom of the Lucasfilm Fan Relations Team. “As a small tribute, our Story Group has incorporated a re-imagining of Riley’s name as a character in the Star Wars galaxy. We can’t reveal the specific details at this time, but the character’s name will appear in a forthcoming book publication later this year.”
The Charlotte Observer further stated, “Lucasfilm requested that the family keep the news confidential. Those close to Howell didn’t hear about it again until this weekend, when Howell’s girlfriend, Lauren Westmoreland, was contacted by a former high school teacher who had bought and read through “The Rise of Skywalker — The Visual Dictionary.””
“He sent me a message and it was a picture of the segment that Riley’s in in the book, and he was like, ‘Hey, is this just some crazy coincidence, or am I imagining this? It literally says Ri-Lee Howell,’ And I was like, ‘Oh! Oh my God! That’s what that is!’ … It’s just the coolest thing in the world,” says Westmoreland, adding that Howell had been telling her how much “Star Wars” meant to him since the first day they met and sometimes even put “Star Wars”-related doodles on birthday cards he gave her.”
We can’t think of a better way to honor a fallen hero who loved Star Wars so much. Riley Howell will forever be known as a Jedi Master.