Origins & Early Life

Gladys Mae West (née Brown; October 27, 1930 – January 17, 2026) was an American mathematician. She was known for her contributions to mathematical modeling of the shape of the Earth, and her work on the development of satellite geodesy models, which were later incorporated into the Global Positioning System (GPS). 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.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Gladys Mae Brown was born in Sutherland, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County, a rural county south of Richmond, on October 27, 1930. Her family was an African American farming family in a community of sharecroppers. She was the second of four children. She spent much of her childhood working on her family's small farm. As well as working on the farm, her mother worked in a tobacco factory and her father worked for the railroad.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

West saw education as her way to a different life. 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. West...

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