“Separate and equal are two different things. Just ‘cause it’s the way, doesn't make it right.”
-Dorothy Vaughn
Early Life
Dorothy Vaughn was born on September 20, 1910 in Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated from high school as valitictorian at the age of 15. She then went to the college of B.A., Mathematics, Wilberforce University where she graduated in 1929 at the age of 19. After graduating, she worked as a math teacher in Virginia. In 1932, she got married to Howard S. Vaughn. She then took a job at Langley as a mathematician in the West Area Computing in 1943.
Middle Life
At the start of her career, she worked in a segregated area and had to use segregated bathrooms and dining areas. In 1948, when NACA became NASA, she joined the Analysis and Computation Division where she worked among men and white women. She was the first black supervisor at NACA. As the head of the West Computing Area she advocated for women across NACA.
Achievements/Later Life
She soon became an expert on NASAs first computer, the FORTRAN programmer. She prepared herself and the other women in her group because she realized that it would be the future of solving equations. After working with the FORTRAN she worked on the SCOUT Launch Vehicle Program, used to launch satellites.She retired from NASA in 1971 at the age of 61. She passed away on November 10th, 2008 at the age of 98. In 2019 she was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.