Edward P. Merkes

I'm so sorry to have missed visiting Ed before he passed. If not for him, I would never have completed my PhD. Carl Singer 1973

I was a student at UC in the 1960s. He taught me advanced calculus and was a great teacher.

Ed was my dear friend and mentor. I wrote three math papers with him; I would say under him since his contribution exceeded mine by far. He encouraged me to persevere when I was down and needed guidance. He and his wife Gerry were also great human beings who cared for just causes. I will miss you Ed. Your name will stay in glory.

Dr. Merkes was one of professors and I believe head of the Mathematics department at the time I received my Masters degree. Condolences to his family.

Debbie and I are saddened by the news of Ed's death. He was a very kind and decent man. He was a good neighbor with a dry sense of humor. He will be missed. May God have mercy on Ed's soul. He, Gerry and the Merkes family are in our thoughts and prayers. We will be making a donation to in his memory to St. Vincent De Paul an organization that was near and dear to Ed's heart. May he rest in peace.

Ed was a great colleague, who built up a very strong research department, with excellent facilities. He cared about the department after his retirement too. I will miss him.

I was an undergraduate when Ed came to UC in 1963. I vividly remember taking Numerical Analysis and Complex Analysis from him, along with Dave Minda. Ed was a great teacher making clear lectures, interesting homework assignments and tests. He encouraged me to go to graduate school, so I applied to UC, Indiana and Chicago. Well I did not get in Chicago but got a NASA fellowship at Indiana. Later I had teaching positions at Michigan, Kansas and SUNY at Buffalo. Every year I would return...

I was a senior math major at UC in 1964-65. I took the graduate Complex Analysis course from Ed that year. Ed was a very engaging and enthusiastic teacher; this course convinced me to attend graduate school and work towards a PhD in complex analysis. I earned an MS in math at UC in 1966 and wrote my MS thesis under Ed's guidance. Ed recommenced that I apply to the doctoral program at UCSD which was just starting. Then I moved to UCSD in September 1966 and received my doctorate in 1970. His...

Ed was on the Search Committee for hiring four Assistant Professors, Scott Dumas, Don French, Bingyu Zhang, and me in 1990.
I enjoyed working with him and having pleasant conversations with him at various occasions. He was very friendly and professional in handling departmental matters.
Last time when I chatted with him was right before the COVID pandemic in March of 2020. Ed, I am going to miss you a lot!