July 17, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tracee de Hahn
College of Architecture and Environmental Design
805-756-7114; tdehahn@calpoly.edu
Memorial Scholarship Endowment Honors Disabled Cal Poly Architecture Alum
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Friends and professors of Michael Shannon are honoring his memory by establishing an endowed scholarship at Cal Poly. The scholarship will provide support for students in architecture with physical disabilities. Shannon passed away at the age of 66.
Shannon received a bachelor of science in interior design in 1993 and a master of science in architecture in 1998, both from Cal Poly. Shannon made his way through both curricula despite having major mobility restrictions and being substantially hard of hearing after being hit by a drunk driver in 1987.
His subsequent career was focused on writing about disability issues and helping retailers bring their establishments up to modern standards to comply with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) through his firm Universal Design Consultants of San Luis Obispo.
“Michael was a man with enormous enthusiasm, energy and amazing courage who involved us in his physically challenging world for the purpose of making the design professions sensitive to the needs of the disabled,” said Art Chapman, an architecture faculty member who worked with Shannon. “I would judge him as one of the great people I have had the privilege to know. I would say 'the privilege to teach' but he taught me much more than I taught him.”
The Michael Shannon Endowment will be used to fund a scholarship in architecture and provide support for enhancing students’ experience of universal design within that program. Contributions to the Michael Shannon Endowment may be sent to the Architecture Department.
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