To be a “Black First” is commendable, but to be a female “Black First” is even more praiseworthy. Katherine Goble Johnson was one such lady, who came from an ordinary life, and made the most of the world. She was born in White Sulfur Springs West Virginia on August 26th 1918 to Joshua and Joylette Coleman. She grew from a student to a teacher, wife, mother, mathematician, grandmother, and finally honored for her dedication for our country. She married Jimmy Goble (died December 1956) and James Johnson in 1959. Her life was filled with trials and boulders, but she turned them into stepping stones as she overcame opposition. Katherine Johnson should be regarded as a modern day hero for her exceptional and confident work as a female mathematician
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She knew she was a pro with numbers, so she and her husband took the first step and moved her family of 5, to Newsome Park in Virginia. In 1953, she began working as a “human computer” for West Area Computing, overseen by her manager, Dorothy Vaughan, another “Black First” in NACA. After working for two weeks in the West Area Computing, Katherine was assigned to work as a temporary mathematicians for the Flight Research Division (Shetterfly, Margot Lee. "Katherine Johnson Biography."). Two weeks later, Dorothy met with Katherine’s boss, and demanded that Katherine either get a raise, or be sent back to her. Katherine’s boss realized that Katherine was a powerful asset to have, and gladly raised her salary. She worked on special assignments, like mysterious plane crashes. She learned (after careful study and experimentation) about wake turbulence, which she, “thought [the] report was one of the most interesting things [she] had ever read”(Shetterfly, Margot Lee. Hidden Figures). She did trajectory analysis for Alan Shepard’s May 1961 Freedom 7 mission, and later she co-authored a book (Determination of Azimuth Angle at Burnout for Placing a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position) with Ted Skopinski. She was the first woman to ever receive credit for authoring a research report (Shetterfly, Margot Lee. "Katherine …show more content…
Katherine Johnson was perfect for her job and her work was phenomenal and awe-inspiring. She did what she loved, and loved what she did. She went above and beyond expectations, and was not afraid to ask questions just because of her race or gender. When her husband died, she didn’t let it tear apart her life. She was kind to all, and in turn, others were kind to her. She turned possible challenges into a game, counting along the way. She embodied the spirit of a modern day hero, and without her expertise and dedication, America would have lost the space race, and would never have come so
She knew she was a pro with numbers, so she and her husband took the first step and moved her family of 5, to Newsome Park in Virginia. In 1953, she began working as a “human computer” for West Area Computing, overseen by her manager, Dorothy Vaughan, another “Black First” in NACA. After working for two weeks in the West Area Computing, Katherine was assigned to work as a temporary mathematicians for the Flight Research Division (Shetterfly, Margot Lee. "Katherine Johnson Biography."). Two weeks later, Dorothy met with Katherine’s boss, and demanded that Katherine either get a raise, or be sent back to her. Katherine’s boss realized that Katherine was a powerful asset to have, and gladly raised her salary. She worked on special assignments, like mysterious plane crashes. She learned (after careful study and experimentation) about wake turbulence, which she, “thought [the] report was one of the most interesting things [she] had ever read”(Shetterfly, Margot Lee. Hidden Figures). She did trajectory analysis for Alan Shepard’s May 1961 Freedom 7 mission, and later she co-authored a book (Determination of Azimuth Angle at Burnout for Placing a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position) with Ted Skopinski. She was the first woman to ever receive credit for authoring a research report (Shetterfly, Margot Lee. "Katherine …show more content…
Katherine Johnson was perfect for her job and her work was phenomenal and awe-inspiring. She did what she loved, and loved what she did. She went above and beyond expectations, and was not afraid to ask questions just because of her race or gender. When her husband died, she didn’t let it tear apart her life. She was kind to all, and in turn, others were kind to her. She turned possible challenges into a game, counting along the way. She embodied the spirit of a modern day hero, and without her expertise and dedication, America would have lost the space race, and would never have come so