Gerardo Marín

1947 - 2018

Gerardo Marín

Feb 19, 1947 - Jan 14, 2018

Gerardo Marín, distinguished research psychologist, professor of psychology, and university administrator, suffered a neurological event in his sleep while visiting Baltimore, Maryland, and passed away surrounded by his family at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center on January 14, 2018. The Fairfax, California resident was 70.
A proud Colombian and a dedicated United States citizen, Gerardo was deeply committed to the creation of multicultural educational environments, cultural exchange, and the pursuit of justice for oppressed people in the U.S. and around the world.
Born February 19, 1947, in Pereira, Colombia, to Gerardo Marín Salazar and Noemi Carvajal Marín, Gerardo was raised in Cali and graduated at the top of his class from the Jesuit high school Colegio Berchman, where he demonstrated early interests in reading and science. He returned from a month-long foreign exchange program in Tallahassee, Florida, to teach his sister how to dance "the twist" and vowed to return to the U.S. to pursue his education. Gerardo emigrated to Miami with his family in 1964, and two years later, enrolled at Loyola University Chicago, where he met the mother of his two children.
After receiving his B.S. in Psychology in 1970 from Loyola University Chicago and his M.S. in General Experimental Psychology from DePaul University in 1972, Gerardo moved to Colombia to live and teach at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and Universidad de los Andes in Bogota before returning to Chicago. He received his Ph.D. in General Experimental Psychology from DePaul in 1979. Following graduation, he moved to California, where he lived for the rest of his life.
The most significant period in Gerardo's professional career took place during more than three decades at the University of San Francisco (USF). Between 1982 and his retirement in 2016, he held seven job titles, including Professor of Psychology, Senior Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Senior Vice Provost. Held in high esteem for his integrity, intelligence, discretion, and dependability, Gerardo's leadership within the university community frequently extended beyond formal job titles as he established and cultivated international educational programs in Central and South America, Eastern Europe, and Asia; promoted diversity, inclusion, and structures to facilitate the success of international students at USF; and led the university's accreditation process. Gerardo's pioneering work in the realm of international education led to USF receiving the Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization in 2010. Upon Gerardo's retirement, USF named the ethnic minority faculty dissertation fellowship he created, resulting in the recruitment of dozens of ethnic minority scholars in departments across the university, in his name: the Gerardo Marín Diversity Scholars Program. Thanks in large part to Gerardo's efforts, USF was named the 8th most diverse university in the U.S., recognizing the diversity of students, faculty, staff, and academic programming that Gerardo championed.
Deeply invested in scholarship, Gerardo authored more than 135 publications on a range of topics relative to Hispanic/Latino people and minority groups, including cultural norms and attitudes, risk behaviors, culturally appropriate methodology, and acculturation. He authored, co-authored, and co-edited widely used acculturation scales, research studies, and textbooks. Gerardo was nationally praised for his work on the 1998 Report of the U.S. Surgeon General, entitled "Tobacco Use Among U.S. Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups."
Throughout his career, Gerardo was a full participant in the international community. He was President and Secretary General of the Interamerican Society of Psychology, co-founder of the Association of Latin American Social Psychology, co-founder of the Center for Latina/Latino Studies in the Americas at USF, and an honorary member of the Cuban Health Society. He served the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, leading and facilitating numerous international meetings and education initiatives on their behalf.
Gerardo was a true friend, mentor, and advisor to many, striving always to promote the welfare and success of others. Quiet, reserved, dignified, and never one to seek the spotlight, he nonetheless received numerous awards and recognitions. Highlights include a 1992 Award of Distinction from the California Department of Health Services; the Surgeon General's Medallion in 2001; and an honorary doctorate (Doctor Honoris Causa) from Pázmány Péter Katolikus Egyetem, Budapest Hungary, in 2005. Perhaps most notably, he was named among the top 100 Colombians of 2013 for his academic achievements and contributions to higher education administration.
Gerardo provided a powerful example of a life fully lived, integrating time for the appreciation of art, music, culture, food, travel, and family amidst a full academic and professional career. In his retirement, Gerardo continued to live with meaning and purpose, visiting family and friends, spoiling his granddaughters, gardening, consulting with academic institutions, traveling internationally, and brewing the perfect cup of tea for his partner, Lois Ann. His death marks both a life fulfilled, and a life, interrupted.
Also known by those who loved him as Gerardito, Gary, Ato (short for Abuelito), G-man, the Boss, Papi, and the International Man of Mystery, Gerardo is preceded in death by his parents and his nephew, Brian Montoya. His profound loss is felt deeply by his beloved life partner of 24 years Lois Ann Lorentzen; daughter Melisa Lindamood (Kevin); son Andrés Marín (Cassie Weisz-Marín); granddaughters Sienna and Sasha Lindamood and Mia Marín; sister Noemi Smith (Patrick); brother Carlos Marín; nephews Michael and Gary Montoya and Alexander Marín (Dayra); Lois' siblings Ruthann Lorentzen and sons Mason and Healey Koch; Peter Lorentzen (Chrissy); Paul "PL" Lorentzen (Sandy Buechel) and children Hannah, Tucker, Annee, and Tessa; Mark "Slick" Lorentzen (Julie Spanier) and sons Aidan, Ethan, Asher, and Liam; and countless other relatives, friends and colleagues who feel fortunate to have known his kind, gentle, and compassionate spirit.
A private funeral services will be held in California in late January. A public memorial and celebration of his life will be held Thursday, March 8, 5 PM at St. Ignatius Church, San Francisco. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Cristo Rey Network [www.cristoreynetwork.org (fill out "Tribute" area of donation page and use Lois' email – (lorentzen@usfca.edu, 312-784-7200) or Jesuit Refugee Service [www.jrsusa.org (write "In memory of Gerardo Marín" and lorentzen@usfca.org in comment box), 202-629-5906]. Both organizations advance Gerardo's commitment to higher education for minority populations and the pursuit of international justice.