It is my privilege to submit my endorsement for the proposal for a stamp in honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Claude Shannon. Â I do this, not only as an individual but also on behalf of my colleagues in MIT's Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS), which is proud to have a bust of Shannon in our main lobby as a reminder of the central and continuing impact of his work. Â Shannon's pioneering work has both shaped the entire field of information and decision sciences and had enormous impacts on the information and communication systems that are so central to modern life. Â Indeed the impact of Shannon's work is so pervasive that he should be included in the group of famous Americans such as Thomas Edison and Samuel Morse who have been recognized more than once by stamps in their honor.
Alan S. Willsky