This tribute to Mead C. Killion, an audiologist and inventor who died at age 86, was provided by Marshall Chasin, a longtime contributor and member of The Hearing Review editorial advisory board and the editor of Canadian Audiologist. This is an edited version of the editor’s message in Canadian Audiologist’s Nov/Dec 2025 issue. You can read the entire issue dedicated to Mead Killion online.
By Marshall Chasin, AuD
Dr Mead Killion passed away comfortably on November 3, 2025, but he was aware that we were working on an issue celebrating his life and accomplishments as an audiologist, inventor, and teacher. Despite his passing, for many years to come, clinicians and researchers will continue to see Mead’s legacy and influence in their work.
This tribute is dedicated not only to the life’s accomplishments of Dr Mead Killion, but also to his work in supporting and teaching others.
Mead was known as an inventor of products that left us scratching our heads trying to figure out why we didn’t think of them first. He was also a gifted teacher who had an uncanny way of being able to translate a complex phrases like “the acoustic impedance of the acoustic inertance is proportional to frequency” into the easily understandable “high frequencies don’t like small spaces.” Starting in the 1980s, Mead never just traveled with a single suitcase when giving talks. He also carried with him another bag filled with horns, lengths of tubing of various diameters, and other equipment for demonstrations that would help him bring to life both the acoustics and the electronics of hearing aids for those he was teaching.
And Mead never forgot his own teachers, and made sure others recognized their accomplishments as well. This included Ed Villchur, the father of multiband compression and the modern (air-suspended) loudspeakers we all take for granted, and Elmer Carlson, an amazing engineer at Industrial Research Products/Knowles in the 1970s and early 1980s who designed the basis for what was to become the musician’s earplug.
Elmer Carlson’s work on the twin tube idea led to Mead’s patent on insert earphones, and Elmer Carlson’s inventions and ideas were crucial for products that led to the ER15 and ER20 musicians’ earplugs, or the ER3 insert earphone, developed at Mead’s company Etymotic Research. The company made available to our field many important innovations that we couldn’t imagine not having access to. Later, Mead founded M.C.K. Audio, which allowed him to develop other products for people with hearing loss.
It was very important to Mead that the people he worked with received recognition. In fact, some of his articles included an acknowledgement section that was almost as long as the article itself. And he wrote a fair share either alone or with colleagues, including 88 articles and 21 book chapters. He also holds 92 US patents. What better way to spend an afternoon than by reading through his work? With this in mind, we compiled a comprehensive collection of his writings for our issue dedicated to Mead. This is not just a labor of love, but a great way to go back to “first principles” and learn from the master himself. Each of Mead’s articles and book chapters is packed with great translational information. In addition to being available on the Etymotic website, the references can be found on www.MeadShare.com.
I would like to thank the three guest editors who assisted me in putting together the special issue of Canadian Audiologist dedicated to Mead: Larry Revit, Steve Armstrong, and Steve Aiken. We were all privileged to call Mead Killion a friend.
According to his obituary, Mead Clifford Killion (June 5, 1939 – November 3, 2025) is survived by his wife of 36 years, Gail Gudmundsen; son Thann Killion, daughter Tracy (David) Mack, sister-in-law Joan Killion, sister-in-law Lynn Gudmunden, brother-in-law Vance (Virginia) Gudmundsen; nieces: Rachel Hellenga, Heather Hellenga (Tom Colclasure), Caitrine Hellenga (Tim Barker); nephews: Jesse Killion (Elizabeth); Jake Gudmundsen (Miriam Liabo); Theodore (Alison) Gudmundsen, Peter (Caitlyn) Gudmundsen, Patrick Myers; grandchildren: Sean Mack, Lindsay (James) Anest and Ian (Jessica) Mack; greatgrandchildren: Maximos and Finley Anest; grandnephews: Braxton Farr; Jackson Colclasure; John Gudmundsen; Wesley Gudmundsen; Theodore Killion; grandnieces: Harper Lee (Joshua) Lorentzson, Clara Killion, Sophia Killion, Claire Gudmundsen; great-great grandniece, Lydia Lorentzson.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, December 13, 2025 in Schaumburg, IL.
Contributions can be made in Mead’s memory to Wabash College, VanderCook College of Music, and the American Auditory Society.
Mead always encouraged others to celebrate the little things along the way. His groundbreaking work in audiology is an enduring part of his legacy, as was his commitment to making the world a better place.
