R.I.P. Gladys West GPS pioneer and mathematician Gladys West has died. She was 95. Her calculations helped produce extremely accurate modeling of the Earth's shape, laying the foundation for modern global positioning system technology. West was born in rural Virginia during segregation. In 1956, she was hired as a computer programmer at a Navy base in Virginia, where she was one of only four Black employees. Her work went largely unrecognized for years, though she was later acknowledged as one of the hidden figures of the era. Despite being considered the mother of GPS, West said she still preferred using a paper map when driving.

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