The Mentor's nest

Isadore Rudnick provided a rich, warm, loving environment for his graduate students. It was a wonderful place to absorb his wisdom in acoustics, both linear and nonlinear, and fluids, both classical and quantum, along with that of the then-young professors Seth Putterman and Gary Williams. We students had ample lab space, all the helium we could use, and access to tools, electronics, and facilities accumulated over Izzy's long career. Izzy's demos were a treat that made their physics obvious. We enjoyed the peripheral glow of his ASA Gold Medal, his Fritz London Memorial Prize, and his inclusion into the National Academy of Sciences. He brought us to ASA meetings where we could watch him and Moe Greenspan hold court in the hallways. Izzy treated us like family by including us in family clam bakes and birthday events. His fame brought scientists visiting from around the world, and he would bring them around to spend much of their time in our student labs. Izzy showed us a way of life, apparent from about half of his 32 doctoral students ultimately becoming professors.