Dorothy Vaughan

Hello, my name is Dorothy Vaughan, and I want to share my story with you. I was born on September 20th, 1910, in Kansas City, Missouri. From a very young age, I was fascinated by numbers and the logic of solving puzzles. This passion led me to Wilberforce University in Ohio, where I earned a degree in mathematics and graduated in 1929. For many years after college, I worked as a math teacher in Virginia. It was a joy to share my love of numbers with my students, and I truly believed that understanding mathematics was a powerful tool that could help anyone make sense of the world around them.

During World War II, our country needed everyone to help, and I saw a notice for a job that would change the course of my life. In 1943, I was hired by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which you might know by its later name, NASA. I moved my family to Hampton, Virginia, to work at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory. My job title was a 'human computer,' which meant my work involved performing incredibly complex mathematical calculations by hand for the engineers. It was a time of segregation in America, so African American employees like me worked in a separate group called the West Area Computing Unit. We had to use separate bathrooms and dining facilities. Despite these challenges, we were proud of our contributions and knew that our work was essential for helping America's pilots fly safely and effectively.

I poured all my effort into my work, and so did the other brilliant women in my group. Our calculations had to be absolutely perfect, as there was no room for error in aeronautics. After our supervisor left, I was asked to step in as the acting head of the West Area Computers in 1949. A couple of years after that, I was officially promoted to the position of supervisor. This was a significant moment because it made me the very first African American manager in NACA's history. It was a great responsibility, and I made it my mission to advocate for all the women in my unit, both Black and white. I fought to ensure they received the recognition they deserved for their brilliant work and were given opportunities to advance their careers.

In the 1950s, a new technology arrived at Langley that signaled a huge shift in our work: giant electronic computers made by IBM. I saw these incredible machines and knew immediately that they represented the future. I also understood that they would eventually make the job of a 'human computer' obsolete. Instead of being afraid of this change, I decided to embrace it and prepare for it. I went to the library, checked out books, and began teaching myself a new computer programming language called FORTRAN. Once I understood it, I taught the women in my group how to program, too. I wanted to make sure that we would all have valuable skills when the world of computing changed. My foresight paid off. In 1958, NACA was transformed into NASA, and the segregated units were finally integrated. Because we had prepared ourselves and learned to program, my team and I became some of the first and most vital computer programmers at the new space agency.

As a programmer at NASA, I had the incredible opportunity to be part of the Space Race. My work focused on the Scout Launch Vehicle Program, a critical project responsible for launching satellites into orbit around the Earth. The computer code I wrote and the calculations I oversaw were essential to the success of these missions. I felt an immense sense of pride knowing that my love for numbers was helping America reach for the stars and explore the vastness of space. I continued my career at NASA for many years, constantly solving new problems and helping to push the boundaries of what was thought possible. I finally retired in 1971, after a long and fulfilling career that I never could have imagined when I was just a young girl who loved math.

I lived to be 98 years old. Many years after I retired, my story, along with the stories of my amazing colleagues Katherine Johnson and Mary Jackson, was shared with the world in a book and a movie called 'Hidden Figures.' People finally learned about the dedicated 'human computers' who played such a crucial role in helping America win the Space Race. In 2019, I was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for my contributions. I hope my story reminds people to never be afraid of the future and to always lift up the people around you. A love for learning can take you to places you've only dreamed of.