Peter Murano, native of Massapequa, continues his successful life with the release of his book The George Reeves Adventures of Superman Companion.

Murano spent his childhood on Euclid Avenue and attended R.J. Lockhart Elementary School and Berner High School. Murano has very vivid memories of the Massapequa community in the 1950s and 1960s, some of those of the Massapequa Zoo, the Massapequa Drive-In theater, Brady Park and All American.

Most vivid, however, is his recollection of the Superman series phenomenon. Superman, according to Murano, "embodied the good vs. evil saga" and because he was such a giving character, Superman made all those who watched wish they could be Superman to do good on behalf of others, he said.

As a result, Murano decided to the definitive resource guide to the 104 segment series and Superman character that had been such an influence on his own life. The result is a book that ING.com calls expertly conceived. "The Superman Companion is a more than worthy addition to any George Reeves (and/or Superman) fan's library. It's expertly conceived visual aspects are the work of the man who provided the text as well, proving him to be a man of many talents."

Murano has not been an author for the majority of his career. After working at Virginia Tech and Iowa State University, concentrating mainly in science, Murano and his wife got jobs at the White House, under the USDA. Murano worked as the USDA Deputy Administrator for the Food and Nutrition Service from 2001-2004. It was at this point that he was able to visit his old alma mata, Lockhart Elementary, in order to promote good eating

habits.

As the Director of the Center for Obesity Research and Program Development at Texas A&M University, Murano continues to counter the obesity problem in the United States. He has successfully helped at the federal level, "to increase food and vegetable consumption in schools," which is now a permanently funded program by Congress. He is very interested in meeting the challenge of reversing the trends towards overweight and obesity and hopes to bring change to the United States through "actively engaging children, families, and communities with industry and government partners in creative and effective ways."

In both his academic and government careers, Murano has worked tirelessly on very demanding and stressful projects. Greatly needing a creative outlet, Murano began writing his Superman companion. He had always wanted to create a tribute book in order "to demonstrate [his] affection and appreciation" for the series. He was also frustrated that "there was no book out there quite like what [he] wanted to see in a book on the Superman TV show."

To find out more about Murano's recently released book, visit his website at http://www.grsupermanbook. com. Murano has also donated one of his books to the Massapequa library.