Over the years, he and other members of the GGG attended events in costume at Skywalker Ranch, Lucas’ movie ranch and workplace near Nicasio, Calif. They engaged in mock arrests, grabbing and hauling off members of the international press corps who were invited to review the movies.
Follow Your Passions
Although dressing up in costume is always fun, Dr. Katler says it’s even more enjoyable when doing so for charity. In recent years, he and other GGG members have visited children in hospitals and soldiers in the local veteran’s hospital and attended charitable events in costume to support organizations like Make-A-Wish Foundation and Ronald McDonald House. Just last year, the group raised more than $21,000 for charities. Several months ago, Dr. Katler attended the Arthritis Foundation’s Bike-a-Thon as Count Dooku.
Dr. Katler throws a force blast.
With no more room to display Star Wars memorabilia either at home or work, Dr. Katler has called it quits as a collector. At age 72, he still plans on dressing as movie characters for fundraisers, but he now wants to carve out time for his other interests—astronomy, growing orchids and bonsai trees and caring for his two Saluki hounds.
He says living life to its fullest is something he learned while in medical school. At the time, he was living in Haight-Ashbury, a district in San Francisco that is arguably the birthplace of the hippie movement.
