About

"Where a long time ago meets a galaxy far, far away...."
I'm a Star Wars fan, Historian, and native of the great state of Indiana.  This blog is where I bring together my two greatest interests: Star Wars and History.  If it happened "A Long Time Ago," it's fair game for me.

Cole Horton

My interests in Star Wars and History started at a young age and are nearly inseparable.  My fascination with Star Wars began in the aisles of Toys R Us, where a Galoob playlet modeled as a stormtrooper caught my eye.  Without any prior knowledge of the saga, I used my remaining Christmas money to buy the toy and each of the original Star Wars films (long before the 1997 re-release).  I not only grew up with Star Wars - it changed and shaped who I am.  At age 16, I founded the Evansville, IN Star Wars fan club.  By 18, I was building my own Stormtrooper armor.  In college, I was building a life size R2 in my dorm room.

History was ever present in my childhood as well.  Armed with a public library card, I was able to teach myself all the things they didn't teach in school.  The Internet was my next great enabler.  The web's ability to "democratize" scholarship armed me with resources beyond the imagination of traditional historians of the past.  Perhaps that is what made being a history major such an easy choice.

Legion Experience
I joined the 501st Legion when I was finally of age in 2005 as TK9063.  Since then, I've served as a Garrison News Liaison, Membership Liaison, and Public Relations Officer in Indiana.  I partnered with the great folks at a Lucasfilm to lead the 501st Trooper Olympics at Star Wars Celebration IV and the 501st Legion Troop-Athlon at Celebration V.

R2 Builder's Experience
In 2007, I started building my own replica R2 unit after finding Astromech.net.  In August of 2008, I completed my first red and white droid, R2-D1.  Working with Daren Murrer, I helped develop the C&D Styrene domes, the first full-sized vaccuformed MSE droids, and Styrene R4 domes.  Later, we teamed up with Chris Reiff to develop screen-accurate Restraining Bolts, build a promotional droid called R2-DK, and work major updates to our R2 units in a project we called R2.0.

Education

In a WWII M5A1 Tank

In 2008 I graduated from Indiana University with a degree in History.  My greatest interests lie in the interwar period and the Second World War.  I spend weekends and vacations trying to find the best museums, historical sites, and other areas with big and small historical ties.

Professional
In my professional life, I work in consumer insights and brand building for the world's largest CPG company - driving strategy for billion dollar brands every day.  Digital consumers and marketing are my primary interest.

Personal
I live near Cincinnati, OH with my wife, Jennifer.  She is not a Star Wars fan - but is a good sport about it all.  We have a Yorkshire Terrier named Lexi.

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