It began with a dream. A poor black Virginia farm girl comes of age in the Jim Crow south. She graduates first in her high school class, winning a scholarship to Virginia State College (later Virginia State University), where she earns a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1952.
Gladys B. West went on to a master’s degree in 1955 and the following year began working at the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Dahlgren. She was the second African American woman hired at the base, one of only four African Americans employed there.
West became a Navy mathematician whose determination to precisely map the world, gave birth to Global Positioning Technology. That breakthrough is what we now know as the technology we cannot live without, GPS.
Gladys West lived in obscurity for many years. But this quiet woman ultimately changed the world.
Jane Plitt was on a mission to bring Gladys West’s trailblazing technology to the public. Plitt is founder and board chair of National Center of Women’s Innovations. On March 7 of this year, Plitt unveiled the interactive exhibit at the shiny new Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard. In the four months the exhibit has stood prominently in the expansive lobby of the new graduate school, thousands of people have stopped by to view Dr. West’s pioneering research.
“It’s really been exceptionally well received,” Innovation Campus Executive Director Lance Collins observed. “There are school children that have come through, and adults that just take some time to learn about Dr. Gladys West. The exhibit had more of an impact than I even recognized when we first talked about this with Jane Plitt,” Collins told Zebra.
The celebratory send-off on the eve of July 4th featured remarks by Plitt, Collins, Virginia Tech’s Scott Fralin, exhibit designer, and Gwen James, who initiated the public recognition of Dr. West. West’s daughter Dr. Carolyn Ogelsby attended the formal farewell. Her mother, who is 95 and lives with her daughter in Fredericksburg, Virginia, was unable to travel for the appreciation. Saxophonist Vaughn Ambrose of Yellow Door Concert Series closed out the program with a few select numbers. Gayle Converse, local historian and civic leader, led a hike to the exhibit via the Potomac Yard Trail.
“This is more than a farewell, it’s a celebration of Dr. West’s determination, innovation, and the importance of recognizing her forgotten role in our daily lives, and to inspire youngsters’ interest in STEM,” said Plitt.
Brielle Phillippe is a Miss Virginia 2025 finalist. She traveled up from Amissville, Virginia to attend the disassembling ceremony. The Miss Virginia weeklong competition was held the previous week. This was Phillipe’s first stab at the state title and while she did not win the crown, she made the top ten.
“My talent was a demonstration of cloud microphysics and how it occurs in our atmosphere,” Phillippe explained in a conversation with Zebra. Friends wondered why the young woman didn’t select a flashier showy topic at the statewide contest.
“It’s because I’m there to make an impact. And my goal going into Miss Virginia Week was to connect with people, make an impact, inspire others.”
As the ceremony wound down and participants bid their goodbyes, the team began breaking down the posters and packing up. Next stop on the national tour, University of Colorado/Denver in August, to continue educating and inspiring a new generation of innovators.
“It’s bittersweet for us, honestly, to say goodbye, on the one hand,” Dr. Collins told Zebra. “On the other hand, it means that others in the country will get to appreciate this extraordinary woman, her legacy, and what she has done for technology.”
Post Views: 6
