There was a time before phone apps provided instant location and direction, when sailors and explorers used compasses and maps based on careful calculations and measurements. These maps earned trust because they were accurate and worked.
Gladys West worked to create that kind of reliability, building the math that powers GPS, which each of us uses on a smartphone without a second thought.
West died on Saturday of natural causes at age 95, as cited by a family X post.
This morning, the world lost a pioneer in Dr Gladys West. She passed peacefully alongside her family and friends and is now in heaven with her loved ones. We thank you in advance for all of the love and prayers you have and will continue to provide pic.twitter.com/FJ3aGfEiHP
— Dr. Gladys B. West (@DrGladysBWest) January 18, 2026
A Life Rooted in Math and Hard Work
Born on October 27, 1930, Gladys West grew up in a rural area where she attended a segregated one-room schoolhouse.
Growing up as a young black girl in the Jim Crow South, she had few options, but she excelled in school, winning a scholarship to Virginia State College (now Virginia State University), and earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1952, followed by her master's in 1955.
Then, in 1956, the U.S. Navy hired her as a mathematician at the Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren, Virginia—later the Naval Surface Warfare Center. When Gladys was hired, she was only the fourth black employee, working with satellite geodesy, which means measuring the Earth's shape and features with great precision.
The rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union remained tense during the Cold War, from 1947 to 1991. The data she collected was vital for our nation's security.
For example, in the early 1960s, West contributed to an award-winning study that demonstrated the regular motion of Pluto relative to Neptune, using astronomy and math to confirm planetary behavior.
Before computers that made her job easier, West handled huge amounts of data, refining mathematical models that accounted for Earth's uneven shape, gravity, and satellite orbits. These factors became the keystone for accurate GPS data, used today in a myriad of devices.
Building Quietly in the Shadows
West's success occurred when women and black people received little recognition for their work. Her efforts didn't make headlines or lead to fame right away; they were built into systems that had to work perfectly, every time, because GPS relies on exact math.
Even a slight mistake could grow into a huge one when signals travel at the speed of light. West's models helped satellites and ground devices "talk" to each other, regardless of whether they're on a plane, boat, tractor, or a smartphone.
West became the project manager for Seasat in 1978, the first satellite to collect data on ocean features such as waves, temperature, currents, winds, and icebergs. Her work at Seast led to GEOSAT, which mapped the Earth's surface more accurately.
West and her team accounted for forces such as gravity and tides using the IBM 7030 "Stretch" computer to create a detailed model of Earth's shape, called a geoid.
Without this feature, GPS couldn't precisely pinpoint locations.
Many years later, historians spotlighted her role, and in 2018, she was inducted into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame.
She received the IEEE President's Award in 2024 for her work in Geodesy. Then, after 42 years, West retired.
Rising Through Challenges
Despite global tensions, rapid technological change, and social struggles such as the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, West succeeded in fighting segregation and inequality. She advanced through skill, steady effort, and focus, not seeking attention.
Math doesn't change with trends, politics, or race; it either works or it doesn't.
West's story shows how a nation's power often arises from patient, behind-the-scenes work. GPS wasn't an overnight invention; it grew from decades of testing, fixing, and careful math during the Space Race, when the U.S. and Soviets competed to launch satellites like Sputnik in 1957.
West remained committed to results rather than fame.
A Lasting Impact That Guides Us Today
It's amazing and disheartening to realize that everyday life depends on hidden tech. Directions pop up fast, packages arrive on time, planes land in bad weather, and rescuers locate people who need help.
All of these examples connect back to math solved long ago.
Gladys West helped create the accurate maps that make this possible, while staying away from the spotlight, focusing on the math, where getting it right mattered most.
Like a reliable map in a storm, her work will still direct us, even after she's gone.
Gladys West’s story reminds us that progress depends on skill and hard work before it gets noticed. Groups that value quiet expertise last longer than those chasing quick hype.
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