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.
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.
Over many years, Jane Plitt, founder and board chair of the Alexandria-based "National Center for Women’s Innovations" (NCWI), made it her mission to put Gladys West on the map
—quite literally.
West’s story became the centerpiece of NCWI’s inaugural work,
culminating in a lavish gala celebrating her 93rd birthday on October 27, 2023.
Emceed by Deborah Roberts, the evening showcased West’s extraordinary contributions,
with West herself declaring,
“This is the best day of my life.”
https://thezebra.org/2026/01/18/dr-gladys-west-mathematician-whose-work-made-gps-possible-dies-at-95/