N.C. woman changes her name to Obi-Wan Kenobi

Raleigh News & Observer

DURHAM, N.C. -- When Jennifer Briggs marched confidently into the Durham County courthouse Monday, her light saber didn't even trip the metal detector.

A hour later, the schoolteacher, clad in the garb of a Jedi knight, emerged with a new moniker (Obi-Wan Kenobi Briggs), newfound riches (a check for a thousand bucks) and nearly as much attention as the upcoming "Star Wars" movie ("The Phantom Menace"). Briggs, 28, of Durham, gained national attention last week after a local radio station chose her from among 10 listeners who said they would change their name in time for the release of the newest "Star Wars" epic. She filed an application for the name change but was told by clerk of court Jim Carr that she had to promise to change her name on vital documents before he could approve it. On Monday, Briggs signed an affidavit saying she would change the name on her driver's license. So Carr signed the necessary documents, which he handed to Briggs in front of a wall of cameras and an audience of friends and family. "I hope you will use some of your newfound power to help the people in this court who have had enough of the Dark side," Carr said. Briggs said she had received calls from a slew of national shows and celebrities including David Letterman and Rosie O'Donnell, since her story broke. "It's been a madhouse," said Briggs boyfriend Greg Jansen as he held a "Star Wars" folder containing her legal paperwork. On Monday, television cameras outnumbered the schoolchildren who showed up from Cary Academy where Briggs teaches language arts. Susan Longiotti and her daughter Vittoria, 12, a student in Briggs' class, were at the courthouse Monday to cheer her on. "Life is too short not to take advantage of these kinds of opportunities," Susan Longiotti said. "Ms. Briggs doesn't teach out of a book all the time because life isn't like a book all the time."

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