Claude E. Shannon is retired from his position as research mathematician at the Bell Telephone Laboratories. From 1958 to 1978 he was also Donner Professor of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Warren Weaver, now deceased, had a distinguished career in academic, government, and foundation work.

Richard E. Blahut and Bruce Hajek are professors of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.