Memorial Health System Hospitals Celebrate May the 4th With “Star Wars” Babies – Including a Luke

[May 09, 2021] 

Meet Luke Gray Sokolowski, not Luke Skywalker, but Logan County's first Star Wars "May the fourth (be with you)" baby boy in 2021. Luke was born May 4th, at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. He is the son of Matthew and Tamara Sokolowski of Lincoln.

Soon after, along came Logan County's second Star Wars Baby, Westley Shelton, son of mom Taylor Gregory and dad Ryan Shelton, born at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln.

Luke was born at 9:59 a.m. on Tuesday and Wesley was born a few minutes later at 10:02 a.m.

As a fun play on the pun, the hospitals of Memorial Health Systems provided "Yoda" caps and personal light sabers to all the babies born of their five hospitals on Tuesday.

May the 4th With “Star Wars” Babies – Including a Luke

What are the odds two Star Wars fans expecting their second son, whom they had planned to name Luke, would be scheduled to deliver via C-section on Star Wars Day? Han Solo might advise against considering those chances – “Never tell me the odds,” the character notoriously mutters as he navigates his Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field.

Despite the odds, Luke Gray Sokolowski was born at 9:59 a.m. on May 4 at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. He is the son of Matthew and Tamara Sokolowski of Lincoln. He weighed 9 pounds, 2 ounces and measured 20 ½ inches long. Luke has one sibling, Matthew James, 3 ½.

Luke and other babies born Tuesday, May 4 at MMC, Decatur Memorial Hospital, Passavant Area Hospital and Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital were dressed as Baby Yoda to celebrate Star Wars Day. The Baby Yoda ensemble even included a crocheted lightsaber.

Fans of Star Wars celebrate today because the date reflects a catchphrase from the movies, “May the Force be with you.” Baby Yoda is the popular character from the Star Wars’ The Mandalorian TV series.

“It seems like it was just meant to be,” said Tamara Sokolowski, who had planned to name her second-born youngling Luke even before she knew his scheduled delivery date. “It’s a name I’ve always loved,” she said.

The Sokolowskis both enjoy best the three original Star Wars movies of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

“I’m an ‘80s girl,” said Tamara. “I grew up with those movies.”

Tamara remembers her favorite characters being the Ewoks, those short furry forest-dwellers with a penchant for song and for poking other characters with spears.

“I also loved Princess Leia and, of course, Luke was my favorite,” she said.

“I’m definitely a fan of Luke,” agreed Matthew. “’Luke, I am your father.’”

Both Sokolowskis donned Star Wars-related T-shirts and have at-the-ready Star Wars-themed outfits for baby Luke. Embracing a “Do, or do not” approach to his son’s birth on Star Wars Day, Matthew purchased matching shirts for himself and Luke that read, “Master” and “Apprentice.”

“We’ll have fun birthdays,” said Tamara. As the couple prepped for Luke’s delivery on Tuesday morning, those future birthday parties may seem far, far away; but, as parents know, childhood tends to happen at light speed.

In addition to Luke and Wesley the following May the Fourth babies were born at Memorial Hospitals on Tuesday.

Decatur Memorial Hospital
Mom Reyann White
Baby Girl

Decatur Memorial Hospital
Mom Rashunda Williams
Baby Kourtnee

Passavant Area Hospital
Mom Janet Gregory
Dad Shane Courtwright
Baby Zayne Damon Courtwright

Passavant Area Hospital
Dad John Bull
Mom Courtney Bull
Baby Joseph Ryan Bull

[Angie Muhs]