Clifford Glenwood Shull was born on September 23, 1915, in the Glenwood section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Along with his older brother and sister, Shull attended neighborhood schools, then enrolled in Schenley High School. At Schenley, a dynamic instructor sparked Shull's interest in physics, causing him to reconsider his initial ambition to be an aeronautical engineer. After graduating, he won a partial scholarship to the Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Mellon University, and immersed himself in his studies. During Shull's freshman year, however, his father died suddenly, precipitating not only an emotional, but a financial crisis for the family. As a result, Shull's older brother, Perry, quit his job as an art teacher and ran their father's business until his younger sibling had graduated from college.

After receiving his B.A. from Carnegie, Shull entered the graduate physics program at New York University. Early on he became associated with the...