Carano, who was born in Oklahoma and grew up in California, moved to Guam in 1947 where he lived and worked for 32 years for the federal government and the government of Guam. 

He earned a bachelor's in education from Fresno State College in 1943 and a master's in education from Stanford University in 1954. 

He joined the University of Guam in 1964 and later served as an assistant professor and associate professor. In 1968, he was promoted to full professor. He served as the first official director of Micronesian Area Research Center in 1971 until his retirement in 1976. 

Professor Carano was well-known for his research work on Guam history and culture. He co-authored "The Complete History of Guam" along with second UOG President Pedro C. Sanchez, which was published in 1964. 

Starting with the research materials gathered by him and his colleagues, Professor Carano established a reference collection in a small storage room at the then College of Guam. Armed with the foresight that the future University of Guam should build a facility dedicated to the study of the Micronesian region and with the support of the legislature and governor, Professor Carano, along with Marjorie Driver and Emilie Johnston, expanded the collection into what is now the Micronesian Area Research Center. 

After his retirement, The Guam Recorder in 1977 published an issue featuring special tributes to Professor Carano. Guampedia has archived the publication online which can be viewed here: https://url.uog.edu/carano. 

A memorial service was held for Professor Carano on Feb. 6, 2020, at Oak Hill Cemetery in McAlester, Okla. The University offers our heartfelt condolences to the Carano family and long-time colleagues of Professor Carano and keeps them in our thoughts and prayers during this time.