Gus Lopez began collecting Star Wars memorabilia in 1977 with the release of Star Wars: A New Hope. It began with the trading cards, records, and stickers, then followed by the toys in 1978 and continued for many years thereafter. Gus created the Star Wars Collector's Archive in 1994, which was the first Star Wars collecting website on the Internet. It was created with the goal of bridging the geographical gaps between collectors in a way that is fun, educational and easily accessible to show "the best of the best" in Star Wars collecting with contributions from many of the top collections in the hobby.
Gus also writes for magazines on Star Wars collecting and occasionally appears at conventions and on tv programs on the Star Wars collecting topic. He has put together a vast collection of unusual and rare Star Wars items, which are on display all throughout his house in Seattle. Gus and his wife, Pam, have traveled to various parts of the world on Star Wars related adventures, including three trips to Tunisia where they located many original Star Wars set pieces and props left behind years after filming.
Gus' life story in a nutshell: Gus was born in Havana, Cuba on April 8, 1965 and grew up in Summit, New Jersey, where he lived from 1969 until starting college in 1983. In 1989, he moved out to Seattle where he still resides. Gus is married to Pamela Green, who is a researcher in the Family Medicine Department at the University of Washington. Gus and Pam live in a house full of Star Wars and Lilo & Stitch collectibles in Seattle.
Pam got her Ph.D. from the University of Washington. Her field was Physiological Psychology. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from UCLA and a Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology from the University of Washington. Pam grew up in Santa Monica, California. She collects Lilo & Stitch collectibles and anime toys. Similar to Pam, Gus is also over-educated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Engineering from M.I.T., a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from Brown University, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Computer Science from the University of Washington. The title of his Ph.D. dissertation is The Design and Implementation of Kaleidoscope, a Constraint Imperative Programming Language. Throughout 1983-1990, Gus worked at AT&T Bell Laboratories. After completing his Ph.D., he worked for NorthWestNet, in Bellevue, WA. Today, he's a IT director for an e-commerce firm based in Seattle.
gus@theswca.com