"You've got to be real careful, you can't just be a computer in your life. You've got to have something to give, some purpose... You can’t get anywhere around doing nothing. You’ve got to work. Work is a major component of life."
Few figures have shaped modern life as quietly yet profoundly as Dr. Gladys Mae West, the mathematician whose calculations laid the foundation for the Global Positioning System. Born in rural Virginia and later rising to become a pioneering scientist at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, West’s life reflects the power of persistence, intellect, and purpose.