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Dr. Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Work Made GPS Possible, Dies at 95
She was one of the mathematicians featured in the film 'Hidden Figures,' about three African-American mathematicians who played a pivotal role in astronaut John Glenn's launch into orbit while dealing with racial and gender discrimination.
https://thezebra.org/2026/01/18/dr-gladys-west-mathematician-whose-work-made-gps-possible-dies-at-95/
From segregated Virginia to global impact, her mathematics quietly changed how the world finds its way.
ALEXANDRIA, VA — Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She passed away Saturday, surrounded by her loving family. She was 95.
Her story began far from satellites and supercomputers. Born into poverty on a Virginia farm during the Jim Crow era, West grew up in a segregated South where opportunity was scarce. Through determination and extraordinary academic talent, she graduated first in her high school class and earned a scholarship to Virginia State College (now Virginia State University). She received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1952 and went on to earn a master’s degree in 1955.
In 1956, West began working as a mathematician at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia. She was only the second African American woman hired at the base and one of just four African American employees at the time. What followed was a career that would quietly change the world.
At Dahlgren, West devoted herself to solving one of science’s most complex challenges: accurately modeling the shape of the Earth. Her painstaking calculations and programming helped transform raw satellite data into precise geodetic models, enabling reliable satellite-based navigation. That work ultimately became the backbone of the Global Positioning System (GPS) — now essential to aviation, shipping, emergency response, smartphones, and daily life worldwide.
. . .
Through Plitt’s leadership, NCWI brought Gladys West’s legacy into the public spotlight. On March 7, 2024, Plitt unveiled an interactive exhibit honoring West’s groundbreaking research at the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard. After drawing thousands of visitors in the campus lobby, the exhibit went on the road and has since traveled to multiple states, sharing the story of another “hidden figure” whose work helped shape modern technology.
Her story began far from satellites and supercomputers. Born into poverty on a Virginia farm during the Jim Crow era, West grew up in a segregated South where opportunity was scarce. Through determination and extraordinary academic talent, she graduated first in her high school class and earned a scholarship to Virginia State College (now Virginia State University). She received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1952 and went on to earn a master’s degree in 1955.
In 1956, West began working as a mathematician at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia. She was only the second African American woman hired at the base and one of just four African American employees at the time. What followed was a career that would quietly change the world.
At Dahlgren, West devoted herself to solving one of science’s most complex challenges: accurately modeling the shape of the Earth. Her painstaking calculations and programming helped transform raw satellite data into precise geodetic models, enabling reliable satellite-based navigation. That work ultimately became the backbone of the Global Positioning System (GPS) — now essential to aviation, shipping, emergency response, smartphones, and daily life worldwide.
. . .
Through Plitt’s leadership, NCWI brought Gladys West’s legacy into the public spotlight. On March 7, 2024, Plitt unveiled an interactive exhibit honoring West’s groundbreaking research at the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard. After drawing thousands of visitors in the campus lobby, the exhibit went on the road and has since traveled to multiple states, sharing the story of another “hidden figure” whose work helped shape modern technology.
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