| From the moment a neighbor gave Michael Hammersley still photos from the Star Trek show, he was hooked.
For years, Hammersley, 45, of Simi Valley, collected, built, traded and sold just about anything he could get his hands on that had to do with Star Wars, Star Trek or other science fiction sagas.
"Michael didn't grow up, its just as he got older, his toys got bigger," said his mom, Pat Hammersley.
His room was a virtual warehouse of models of made from Star Wars, including the Millennium Falcon, X-Wing fighters and more.
The eldest of five children, he could often be found at the family's kitchen table putting together his beloved models. Later in life, travel around Southern California for Star Trek and other science fiction conventions.
"He was kind of like a big kid in a lot of ways," said his youngest brother, Thomas Hammersly.
He traded much of his extensive collection on eBay.
Though he was quiet and reserved around adults, he really opened up around his neices and nephews, his family said.
When his young neices came over, they loved looking at the man on the wall as the young girls called his life-sized replica of Han Solo being frozen in carbonite from The Empire Strikes Back.
Hammersley was on the way home from his job in Los Angeles as mail delivery person for the city.
His mom said got worried when he wasn't home by 4:45 p.m. and then one of her other sons called to say there had been a train wreck. Somehow, she said she knew Michael was tangled up in the mess.
Another son, Bob, is getting ready to go to Iraq with the Army. Pat Hammersley thought that was the son she had to worry about. She always thought Michael would be home by 5. |
