Pioneering Mathematician Gladys West Dies at age 95
Fredericksburg's newest elementary school is named in her honor.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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Fredericksburg area leaders this week reacted to the death on January 17 of Gladys West, a mathematician whose work at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren on satellite modeling of the Earth laid the foundation for global positioning systems (GPS).
“The passing of Dr. Gladys West deeply saddens the Fredericksburg City Public Schools community,” said division superintendent Marci Catlett. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and all who were touched by her extraordinary life.”
West died in her Alexandria, Virginia home on Saturday at age 95. She was born in 1930 to a family of sharecroppers in Dinwiddie County and received a full scholarship to Virginia State University, where she obtained both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in mathematics.
In 1956, West became the second Black woman and one of only four Black employees to be hired at Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren (later the Naval Surface Warfare Center). She worked as a computer programmer and later was appointed project manager for satellite data analysis.
She retired from Dahlgren in 1998 after 42 years, but didn’t stop learning, earning a Ph.D. in public administration from Virginia Tech in 2000.
West’s enormous contributions to the field of GPS technology began to be recognized in 2017, when Capt. Godfrey Weekes, then-commanding officer at NSWC Dahlgren, described in a message about Black History Month the “integral role” she played.
“She rose through the ranks, worked on the satellite geodesy (science that measures the size and shape of Earth) and contributed to the accuracy of GPS and the measurement of satellite data,” Weeks wrote, as quoted in a 2018 story in the Free Lance-Star. “As Gladys West started her career as a mathematician at Dahlgren in 1956, she likely had no idea that her work would impact the world for decades to come.”
In 2018, West was inducted into the U.S. Air Force Hall of Fame, was commended by the Virginia General Assembly, and was selected as one of the BBC’s 100 Women, which annually celebrates “influential and inspirational women around the world.”
In 2024, the Fredericksburg City School Board voted to name the city’s newest elementary school after West.
“Dr. West’s influence reached the world, but our community feels a special sense of loss,” Catlett said. “We were privileged to name our newest elementary school, Gladys West Elementary, in her honor.”
West’s “meticulous, often unseen contributions transformed navigation and continue to guide millions every day,” Catlett continued. “We salute Dr. Gladys West today and always.”
Fredericksburg School Board Chair Katie Pomeroy said the board “joins our community in mourning the loss of a true pioneer, Dr. Gladys West.”
“As the namesake of our newest elementary school, Dr. West's legacy of intellectual curiosity, perseverance, and innovation will guide the next generation of FCPS students as they navigate their own educational journeys,” Pomeroy said.
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