SHANNON PARK

Located in the 100 block of West Main Street in downtown Gaylord, Shannon Park was built in honor of Gaylord native Claude Shannon.  The beautifically landscaped park is the home to a statue of  Claude Shannon.

Mr. Shannon, a University of Michigan mathematics and electrical engineering graduate, is famous for his work on digital communications.  He is considered to be one of the people most responsible for ushering in the digital age.

The statue's sculptor is Eugene Daub, and was commissioned by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Information Theory Society.  It was unveiled by Claude's wife, Betty Shannon, on October 6, 2000.  The plaque on the base of the statue reads:

                                                     Claude Elwood Shannon
                                                   Father of Information Theory

Electrical engineer, mathematician, and native son of Gaylord.  His creation of information theory, the mathematical theory of communication, in the 1940s and 1950s inspired the revolutionary advances in digital communications and information storage that have shaped the modern world.
This statue was donated by the Information Theory Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, whose members follow gratefully in his footsteps.

                                                    Dedicated October 6, 2000
                                                       Eugene Daub, Sculptor