In 1956, West was hired to work at the Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren, Virginia, where she was the second black woman ever hired and one of only four black employees. Afterward, she briefly took another teaching position in Martinsville, Virginia. She majored in mathematics and then taught two years in Sussex County before she went back to school for her master’s degree. When she learned that the valedictorian and salutatorian from her high school would earn a scholarship to Virginia State College (now University), she studied hard and graduated at the top of her class. Gladys knew that she didn’t want to work in the fields. Her family was an African-American farming family in a community of sharecroppers and she spent much of her childhood working on her family's small farm. West was born as Gladys Mae Brown in Sutherland, Virginia.

GPS is with us everywhere we go, and it was created by Dr. You use it when searching for your local shops, checking directions, or checking traffic for your daily commute. GPS or the Global Positioning System is something we use every day. Gladys West, an American mathematician who was responsible for GPS Technology. This week for Black History Month, we’re celebrating Dr.

Gladys west