ST. CLOUD TIMES — The longest-serving faculty member at St. Cloud State University, assistant professor Gerald Mertens, died Friday, Jan. 11, according to a post by SCSU Archives.
Mertens, also known as Jerry, taught at the university for 53 years, beginning in 1965.
He even worked on campus the day before he died, said Mertens’ colleague associate professor Benjamin Witts.
“This man literally dedicated his life to a field he loved,” Witts said. “He always saw the magic in behavior analysis.”
Mertens worked in the Psychology Department and helped found the Association for Behavior Analysis International in the 1970s, Witts said. Behavior analysis is the study of why people do the things they do, for the purpose of improving lives.
