Author · Veteran · Aviation Professional · the Real Life Lenny
He Didn't Just Write This Story. He Lived It.
About The Author
Some authors write about worlds they imagine. Leonard Serratore writes about the world he built, one runway, one regulation, and one decade of devoted public service at a time.
Born and raised in the Village of Nyack, New York, Leonard grew up with the same fire that burns in every dreaming child, the desire to rise above, to go further, to see the world from above the clouds. That fire never left him. It carried him through military service, through the halls of one of America’s finest aviation universities, and through nearly four decades of a career that shaped the airports of three different counties.
Leonard is not just the author of The Adventures of Scott and Lenny. He is Lenny. The character in the story, the boy who builds model planes, studies at Florida Tech, earns his wings through discipline and love of flight, returns to New York, and finds his destiny at a county airport, that is Leonard’s own journey, rendered in vivid illustration for a new generation of dreamers.
“I wanted young readers to see themselves in Lenny, to know that where you start doesn’t determine where you fly.”
– Leonard Serratore –
Military Service
Serving Before Soaring
Before he ever managed an airport, Leonard served his country. As a disabled veteran of the United States Army, Leonard learned early what it means to commit fully to something bigger than yourself, to show up with discipline, courage, and pride every single day. That spirit never left him. It infused every year of his public service career and lives on every page of this book.
Education
Florida Institute of Technology, Class of 1984
Leonard earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Management and Transportation Technology from the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida, the same university attended by the character Lenny in the book. At Florida Tech, Leonard mastered not just the technical science of flight, but the management, logistics, and regulatory frameworks that keep the entire aviation industry moving. It was the foundation of everything that followed.
37 Years of Public Service
Three Counties, One Calling
From 1985 to his retirement in July 2022, Leonard dedicated 37 extraordinary years to airport management across three of America's most dynamic counties: In 1999, Leonard relocated to Florida, where he has been a permanent resident ever since. He retired in July 2022 and immediately turned a lifetime of experience into a gift for the next generation.