Listening to Pete Murano coo over his two favorite women, it might be hard to tell exactly who he favors more -- wife Elsa Murano or actress Noel Neill, the original Lois Lane from the Adventures of Superman.

After writing a book about the television series -- a labor of love that he says likely started off as therapy for him while living and working in Washington -- Murano jumped at the chance to have dinner with the star from the 1950s.

He said he trembled with nervous excitement, as he was encouraged to take the hand of the elderly actress and walk her to the car.

"I was never more scared in my life. I just met Laura Bush for the first time last week, and I was less scared than when I met Noel Neill," Murano said during a recent interview, laughing as he recalled the meeting. "There she was, still recognizable: same smile, same voice. Of course, quite a bit older, but that was Lois Lane."

It's been nine months since Elsa Murano -- or "Elsie," as her husband casually refers to her -- assumed the helm of Texas A&M University. The historic move made her the first woman and first Hispanic president to lead the 132-year-old institution. At 49, she's also the youngest president.

Born in Cuba, Murano was just 2 when her family fled the country to escape the reign of Fidel Castro. Her family moved to various Latin American countries before immigrating to Miami when she was 14 years old. She spoke no English, and by then her parents had divorced. The self-described "girl from Havana" now leads the nation's seventh-largest public university.

It likely is that unique story that has helped to keep the administrator in the news. But her biggest supporter has managed to stay mostly behind the scenes, even though his wife's job puts him in a new and unprecedented role: first gentleman of Texas A&M.

Previous presidential spouses -- all female -- have had traditional, if not assigned, duties. They redecorate the president's house on campus. They host dinner parties for visiting dignitaries. They get involved in charity work and organize fundraisers.

But Pete Murano is anything but a traditional president's spouse.

An academic administrator in his own right, Pete Murano each semester teaches an introduction to food science that more often than not is quickly booked. He also serves as director of the Institute for Obesity Research and Program Evaluation. And like his wife, he previously worked in Washington, D.C., where he was deputy administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service Special Nutrition Programs.

But his professional resume doesn't even begin to tell the story of the man who grew up in Massapequa, N.Y., with actors Jerry Seinfeld and Alec Baldwin.

"There were two high schools. The Baldwins went to my high school, and Jerry went to the other one. I used to beat them up, though," the 54-year-old said dryly, before emitting a low chuckle. "They wanted to grow up to be professors, I wanted to be a comedian. That's what I usually tell the students and get a good laugh."

Love at first sight

Pete Murano was attending Florida International University in Miami when he first met his wife. She was enrolled in three of his classes that semester and he was immediately love-struck.

"When I first saw Elsa ... the bells went off in my head instantly," he said, explaining that he knew then that he would ask her to marry him some day if he was lucky enough to get the chance. "I made a mistake and told her mother that the first time I met her mother, and she looked at me pretty suspiciously. But I was being honest, and the words came out. Many years later, obviously, I made a good decision."

So Pete Murano began making strategic moves. He shifted his seat from the other side of the classroom to one directly behind his love interest. Following the lead of several other classmates, he began approaching her after class to ask for copies of her notes. Of course, he said, he didn't actually want her notes, just a date.

When he finally mustered enough courage to ask her out, she said yes, but it was conditional. There would have to be a chaperone, as was customary in Cuba, she told him. The pair ended up at the planetarium on a double date of sorts with Elsa Murano's brother and his date.

The pair separated for a couple of years when Pete Murano returned to New York to work on Long Island and Elsa Murano stayed behind in Miami to conduct research. But ultimately, Pete Murano said, the two decided the long-distance relationship was a "loser, and we just had to get together."

The couple decided to marry and go to graduate school together at Virginia Tech University. On a good day, he joked, they might have had $1 in the bank. He smiled as he recalled their frequent trips to the Laundromat, where they spent quarter after quarter.

"Those were the good years, when you go through school and you're together all the time," he said, taking a moment to pause before he went on.

The pair even authored a book together in 2000, though it's not something you're likely to see at Barnes & Noble: Instructors Manual for Jay's Modern Food Microbiology.

"That's one thing I miss. I don't have as much contact time at all compared to the old days. It's one of the casualties of being in a certain position, having responsibility. We both have it, but certainly she does to the nth degree."

'Crazy gringo'

On a Wednesday in August just days before the fall semester was set to begin, Pete Murano sat in his second-floor office in Texas A&M's Research Park with papers piled atop his desk. Behind him was a framed photo of two 1970s Oldsmobiles he restored. Across the room, a photo of "Elsie."

Turning to point at the photo of the cars, Pete Murano explains that he still tinkers with the cars, but there simply isn't much time anymore to drive them around. So mainly, he said, they sit in his driveway.

"I just love Oldsmobile," he said, lamenting the demise of the division. "They maintain Chevy and Buick, I mean even Buick, and Oldsmobile is gone? Come on."

For the record, his wife drives a 2004 Ford Thunderbird. Maroon, of course.

Little else in his office hints at his other passions and hobbies in life, though there are many.

An avid sports fan, one of the Muranos' first additions to the president's home on campus was installing a basketball goal donated by Houston-based Academy Sports and Outdoors. The couple also planted three new flags -- American, Texas and Aggie -- that now wave proudly in the breeze.

Pete Murano owned a classical music store while working at Iowa State University. And then there is his fervent fascination with the Adventures of Superman and its star, George Reeves. The preoccupation led him to write The George Reeves Adventures of Superman Companion tribute book.

"It taught me so many things about right and wrong and how to treat people. His charity, whether he was Clark Kent or Superman, he was always courteous and respectful and doing the right thing and showing justice and mercy at all times," Pete Murano said of the television series. "I just couldn't take my eyes off the screen. I was mesmerized, as were many kids of my generation."

Pete Murano also has a knack for dealing with animals -- particularly snakes, though his reach extends to horses and even wild bulls.

The quasi animal-whisperer was on a mission trip in Honduras helping to build a Bible school in the country when fellow workers warned him to take cover because a wild bull was headed toward them. As he watched the bull come down the hill and head straight toward his camp, he retrieved a bucket and filled it with water, assuming that the massive animal probably was thirsty.

Positioning a tree between himself and the bucket, which was dangling from his hand, he waited for the bull to approach. And it did, eagerly lapping up the water.

"He followed me like a doggy," Pete Murano said. "All the people were like, 'You crazy gringo!'"

Snake charmer

Snakes seem to respond just as warmly. Murano has several snakes at his home in Bryan and is known for being a sort of amateur herpetologist.

About three months ago, he got a call from his Central Christian Church pastor, who asked for help after finding a "big, dangerous snake" slithering around the church property. Pete Murano said he immediately headed to the church and listened to the men gasp in horror as he lifted the lid off the large pail in which they managed to trap the 5-foot-long rat snake.

"I reached in and pulled it out and was able to do this," Murano said smiling as he held his hands up to describe how he massaged the snake. "It was a wild snake, I kid you not. I just held him for a half-hour while he crawled around. I've got him at home now -- not the president's house, the Bryan house."

Pete Murano said he's been bitten only once, and that was as a kid. It was a garter snake that got him, he said. And the bite practically was insulting considering that he has held pythons, anacondas, boa constrictors, king snakes, rat snakes and water snakes, he said, flashing a grin.

"I admire and respect musicians and people that have a knack with animals," the scientist said. "The sad thing is a lot of time we're doing stuff for animals and not doing it for people. That would be the best thing of all if all the needs were met for everybody on the planet.

"Hey, I sound like I'm competing for Miss America or something. I want world peace."

A gentleman's duties

It was toward end of 2007 when rumors first circulated that Elsa Murano was in the running for the president's post.

Pete Murano never had a moment's hesitation about his wife's ability to do the job and told her that from the start. After all, he said, he had seen her in action in Washington.

"She has a unique and impressive combination of scientific ability, administrative ability and, I think, insight into people and their character, their potential or their lack thereof," Pete Murano said. "Put all that together in a leader like the president of the university or a CEO of an organization, and that place is going to a new level. I have every confidence if she's doing her job, it's going to be a win-win -- great for her professionally and it's going to be superb for the university."

Frankly, he said, he didn't give much thought to his role. He watched Becky Gates -- wife of former President Bob Gates -- and knew that she hosted events and served on boards. He said he imagined his role would be fairly similar and that he could fit it all into his schedule.

"So far, it has not been a problem," he said. "Just as I say that, the fall semester is starting so I'm probably going to eat my words a little bit."

On Friday, his wife gave her first major address during A&M's annual academic convocation and, of course, introduced her husband whom she called, "The first dude."

The most challenging aspect for Pete Murano isn't necessarily balancing the duties with his own professional duties, but rather balancing them with his home life.

Pete Murano's mother is 92 and lives next door to the Muranos' home in Bryan. The devoted son used to be able to pop right over, but now he has less time to spend with her. Comfort Keepers, a College Station-based company that provides in-home assistance, helps fill that void by providing his mother with companionship. She understands his new responsibilities, but still wishes he had more time.

Every night, he tries to get dinner ready for his mother, though sometimes it's just not possible when he has an event to attend. He looked over to his calendar and pointed to the receptions, football games and practices, dinners and yell practices that had been marked down.

But Pete Murano isn't complaining. At least not yet. He said he and his wife simply love being in Aggieland.

"Check with us in October, and see how it's going," he joked. "Make sure we haven't burned down the president's house with a barbecue."

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