As I kid I LOVED Star Wars. I had all the toys, tons of vehicles, books, record story books and so much more. I just loved everything from a galaxy far far away. My uncle Richard lived in Carmi, Illinois and he was very aware of my love of all things Star Wars. One day in 1984, he ran into an old flame of his by the name of Mary-Lou. They hadn't seen each other since high school when she moved away to California to try to make it and he had a car accident that paralyzed him. They were catching up and she revealed that she had since got married... to Mark Hamill. My uncle Richard knew immediately who he was and went out of his way to state that his youngest nephew (me) was a massive Star Wars fan. She made him a promise that when she got home that she'd mail him an autograph from Mark to give to me. She got his address and they parted ways.
Richard thought nothing of it and it was quite likely that she would either forget all about it or just not even bother busy Mark with it. But Mary-Lou got home and told her husband about it and he got a photo and signed it. PERSONALIZED it even! And sent it back to that address. And then when Richard got it, he mailed it to me. And I still have it today! Here it is:
It has seen better days and its been junked up a bit from over the years, but I still have it. And I never forgot the story. It reminds me that Mark Hamill and his wife are cool as fuck people. That he went out of his way to make a little kid's day. They didn't have to do that! But they did, and therefore they rock! Also, it reminds me of my uncle Richard, who hooked this up for me. He passed away a couple years ago.
I share this story mostly because it is only my little personal tale of connection to the world of Star Wars as a fan. Years later, I got to actually work on their card sets for TOPPS, which was a dream come true. And hopefully I will get more opportunities to do even more with it. And with the new movies coming, the chance is always there. I'm always happy to give back to the things that shaped my world in some way. And Star Wars, certainly deserves that praise. I've been reading lots of posts lately about the excitement for the sequel trilogy that is being made. There's never been a more fertile time in the world of Star Wars than there ever has been right now. And the knowledge that the old horses are coming back for one more go at it has us excited even moreso. In other words, the force is strong with us!
Anyway, just wanted to share this little tale of kindness from strangers with you. Peace and love,
T
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