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Leadership Otsego County 2022
Item 15 of 38

Claude Shannon, Jr. was born on April 30, 1916. He lived in Gaylord, Michigan until he graduated from Gaylord High School in 1932. His academic and research achievements in the fields of mathematics and electrical engineering earned him the title "Father of Information Theory". Shannon is credited for laying the groundwork for many digital and technological advancements that are widely enjoyed today.


Plant, Property, Leaf, Tree

Statue of Claude Shannon presented to the people of Gaylord by the I.E.E.E. in 2000.

Statue, Sculpture, Temple, Botany

Notice the formula in Claude's left hand. Each is unique for the six statues.

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The furniture store built by Claude's father, Claude Shannon, Sr., on this site in 1915

Tire, Car, Wheel, Automotive parking light

Claude Shannon Park is coincidently located on the very site of a furniture store that his father constructed in 1915. When the building was razed in the 1990s, the vacant space was converted to a pocket park.

The bust of Claude Shannon - the first of six statues nationwide - was unveiled in his home town on October 6, 2000. Each is identical except for the formula held in Claude's left hand. The location of the other statues are at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bell Labs, ATT Shannon Labs, University of California at San Diego, and the University of Michigan. Funding for the statues was provided by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (I.E.E.E.).