Mack Breazeale and E. A. Hiedemann’s group at Michigan State University

Mack Breazeale received a Ph.D. degree in physics at Michigan State University in 1957. He was one of 19 doctoral students supervised by Egon A. Hiedemann, who headed a very active group in ultrasonics at Michigan State in the 1950s and 1960s. Mack’s period there, 1954–1961, is reviewed and also the history of the Hiedemann group, which was well known for its contributions to physical acoustics. A particular interest in optical measurement of ultrasonic waves led to many theses and papers in nonlinear acoustics, at that time just beginning to enjoy a renaissance. Among those who, like Mack, went on to have very active roles in the Acoustical Society of America were Laszlo Adler, Bill Cook, Logan Hargrove, and Walter Mayer.