Peter Baptisto Germano was an American author of short stories, novels, and television scripts. He began his career with short stories. He wrote articles documenting the Marines in World War II as a combat correspondent. He wrote novels, most of which were westerns, but also wrote science fiction. And, as television became ever-present in American culture, Germano wrote numerous television scripts for western, science-fiction, drama, and cartoon series.
Biography
Early life
Germano was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, the eldest of six children. His parents, Italian immigrants from the town of Cigliano, gave him the name Pietro Baptisto Germano, which became Peter B. early in his life. As a young man, he worked several jobs, including as a clerk for the local railroad. It was during his employment at the local train station that he met his wife, Muriel Garant. She was an actress and model, who worked in theater in Cape Cod, but took a job at the railroad station in New Bedford, Massachusetts during World War II. The couple married in February 1943, just before Germano left to serve in the Pacific Theater in World War II. He had a few short stories published in magazines before his tour of duty.
World War II
As a war correspondent for the United States Marine Corps, Germano wrote numerous articles that appeared in various newspapers. After the war Peter and Muriel lived in Chicago until he was called to serve in the Korean War in 1950. A few years later, the family settled in Anaheim, California. Germano and his wife raised four children, while he began a successful writing career.
Education
Throughout his career in the military and his work as a writer, Germano went to college to receive two degrees. With only two years of high school, he attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island from 1946-1950. After his service in the Korean War, Germano transferred to Chapman College in Orange, California in 1956 and received a B. A. in 1959. In 1968, he attended Loyola Marymount University, where he earned his Master of Arts in 1970. From 1971-1973, Germano was a part-time lecturer at Loyola Marymount, where he taught Advanced Writing for Film and Television to graduate students.
Novels and television
With his transition from military to civilian life complete, Germano worked tirelessly on the bulk of his fiction career. He wrote western novels under several pseudonyms, and in the 1950s and 1960s wrote television scripts for several western and science fiction programs. With a steady career, the family moved in 1966 to a new suburban home in Thousand Oaks, California, located north of Los Angeles in Ventura County. By the 1970s, he had published a science fiction novel, mystery short stories, and western short stories for the Jim Hatfield series in "Texas Rangers". Germano collaborated with his wife, Muriel, on several projects. In the 1970s, he became the associate editor of The Californian, the newspaper of the Golden State Mobilehome Owners League. When the editor of the newspaper, Thomas Thompson, retired, Germano and his wife took over as editors; a position which they held for eight years. During this same time period, with grandchildren visiting often, the couple wrote scripts for several animated cartoons televisions series, including The Little Prince.
Germano died in 1983. When not writing, he hiked the golden hills of California. His ashes were spread in the hills near Thousand Oaks. Memorials for both Peter and Muriel Germano are located in Simi Valley's Assumption Cemetery, the local Catholic cemetery.
