It was because of these events that there was a place where she could go for an education in those segregated times. Knowing more about this town brings a new depth of understanding to the story of Katherine Johnson. Haught is the great nephew of WVWC legend Thomas W. Haught, editor emeritus of the Charleston Gazette, appeared in the Sunday Gazette-Mail on March 1, 2020. Background about InstituteĪnother movie is coming out – about the town where Katherine Johnson went to school. This sculpture is a way to help minorities on campus know that they are welcomed and honored here. Since 2011, WVWC has had at least 14% of the student population from a minority. Several stakeholders from across campus (Office of Multiculturalism, Student Life, School of Science, Art Department, Academic Affairs, Physical Plant) weighed in on which location we should use, and everyone agreed this was the best choice for the statue. The location of the sculpture will be between Christopher Hall and Reemsnyder Research Center (both science halls) – a highly trafficked spot. Johnson in Hampton, Virginia and has three daughters Constance, Joylette and Kathy. The 2016 feature film, Hidden Figures, is based on Johnson’s story, as well as other brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit.She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama on Nov. ![]() Johnson has co-authored twenty-six scientific papers and has a historically unique listing as a female co-author in a peer-reviewed NASA report. She received the NASA Langely Research Center Special Achievement Award in 1971, 1980, 1984, 19.By the time Johnson retired in 1986, her computations influenced every major space program from Mercury through the Shuttle.Astronaut John Glenn insisted that Johnson check the computer’s figures. In 1962, NASA used new electronic data processors to calculate launch conditions for the Friendship 7 mission.At the newly formed NASA, Johnson calculated the flight path for the first mission in space.In 1953, after teaching high school for 7 years, a relative helped Johnson apply for a job at Langley Research Center, which would become part of NASA.in mathematics, recognized Johnson’s abilities and motivated her to take advanced math. Schiefflin Clayor, the third African American to earn a PhD. At West Virginia State University, W.W.Her mother was a teacher and her father was a farmer and janitor. Born in 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, Johnson was a talented student who entered college at only 15 years old.We view this sculpture as a tribute to diversity and academic excellence in West Virginia, and appreciate the strong support from our community. We will work to invite Johnson to attend a dedication event on campus this summer, and we will also send a small version of the statue to Johnson.Ī huge thank you goes out to the various departments at WVWC, community members, anonymous donors, alumni, and faculty/staff (donations ranged from $15-$500, demonstrating wide-ranging support from all economic levels of donors). She is an excellent academic and a wonderful role model for the students at West Virginia Wesleyan College, many of whom are West Virginians themselves.This sculpture will be executed in part as a demonstration in the Spring 2017 3D Design course. Johnson is a perfect subject for our statue project because she has so many great accomplishments, and has overcome so much in terms of gender and racial discrimination, to become a mathematician for NASA. Johnson is also showcased in the recent feature film, Hidden Figures. The statue will sit on a 2’x2’x3’ brick pedestal. Johnson, the brilliant African-American NASA mathematician, originally from West Virginia. The WVWC Art & Design Department is bringing in local sculptor Andy Thorne to complete a small (2′ tall) sculpture of Katherine G. WV Colleges plan tribute statues for NASA’s Katherine Johnson (Charleston Gazette-Mail, Febuary 25, 2017) Information from the Art Department GoFundMe in 2016 Margot Lee Shatterly talks about her book Hidden Figures, and the inspiration behind it on her website.Īrtists work to place ‘Hidden Figures’ lead Katherine Johnson statue in Buckhannon (Kirsten Reneau, Exponent-Telegram, January 15, 2017) ![]() The Legacy of a Hidden Figure (Marina Koren, The Atlantic, Feburary 24, 2020) A few of the many sources of information about the life of Katherine Johnson, and the ways that she has inspired (and is still inspiring) the world.ħ Lessons from ‘Hidden Figures’ NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson’s life, by Della Dumbaugh, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Richmond.
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