Gladys West

About

Mathematician who made pioneering contributions to GPS technology. She was the second Black woman ever hired by the Naval Surface Warfare Center. In 2018, she was inducted into the United States Air Force Hall of Fame. 

Before Fame

She received her BS and her MS from Virginia State University. She also held an MA from the University of Oklahoma and a PhD from Virginia Tech University. 

Trivia

She was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. 

Family Life

She was born in Sutherland, Virginia to a family of farmers that belong to a community of sharecroppers. In 1957, she married Ira West. They share three children and seven grandchildren. 

Associated With

Katherine Johnson was another prominent Black mathematician who worked for NASA during the early years of the space race. She and Isabel Allende were both featured in the BBC's 100 Women list of 2018.