Michael Perna Jr. is a local historian, author, and newspaper columnist specializing in the history of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts and Lake Quinsigamond. He is the author of six books and has written over 1,000 articles for local newspapers on these topics. He is a past president of the Shrewsbury Historical Society, the former Shrewsbury Town Historian, and a former member of both the Shrewsbury Historic District Commission and the Shrewsbury Historical Commission. He has assisted in the creation of local history displays for the Shrewsbury Public Library, Major Howard Beal Elementary School, Shrewsbury Fire and Police Departments, and most notably, the Kenneth Burns Memorial Bridge at Lake Quinsigamond. He served in the Massachusetts Air National Guard for 36 years, retiring as a Senior Master Sergeant, and then served as the Chief of Military Records for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for 20 years. He is a life-long resident of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife Sandy.