American mathematician (1930-2026)
Gladys Mae West (née Brown; October 27, 1930 – January 17, 2026[1]) was an American mathematician. She is known for her contributions to mathematical modeling of the shape of the Earth, and her work on the development of satellite geodesy models, that were later incorporated into the Global Positioning System (GPS).[2]
West was inducted into the United States Air Force Hall of Fame in 2018. She was awarded the Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for the development of satellite geodesy models.[3][4]
Early life and education [ edit ]
Gladys Mae Brown was born in Sutherland, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County, a rural county south of Richmond.[2][5][6] Her family was an African-American farming family in a community of sharecroppers. She spent much of her childhood working on her family's small farm.[7][8] As well as working on the farm, her mother worked in a tobacco factory and her father worked for the railroad.[6][9] West saw education as her way to a different life.[10]
At West's high school, the top two students from each graduating class received full scholarships to Virginia State College (Virginia State University (VSU)) – a historically black public university.[7] West graduated as valedictorian in 1948, and received the scholarship.[6][10] At VSU, she chose to study mathematics, a subject that was mostly studied by men.[7] She also joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.[2] West graduated in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics,[6] and then taught mathematics and science for two years in Waverly, Virginia.[6] West returned to VSU to complete a Master of Mathematics degree, graduating in 1955.[10][6] Afterwards, she began another teaching position in Martinsville, Virginia.[6]
Career [ edit ]
In 1956, West was hired to work at the Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren, Virginia (later the Naval Surface Warfare Center). She was the second black woman hired and one of only four black employees.[7][5][2] She was a computer programmer in the Dahlgren division, and a project manager for processing systems for satellite data analysis.[12] Concurrently, West earned a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma.[6]
In the early 1960s, West participated in an award-winning study that proved the regularity of Pluto’s motion relative to Neptune.[13] Subsequently, West began to analyze satellite altimeter data from NASA's Geodetic Earth Orbiting program, to create models of the Earth's shape. She became project manager for the short-lived Seasat radar altimetry project, the first satellite that could remotely sense oceans.[14][15] West's work cut her team's processing time in half, and she was recommended for a commendation.[16]
West and Sam Smith look over data from the Global Positioning System at Dahlgren in 1985
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