[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 26 (Tuesday, February 14, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E188]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE WOMEN PORTRAYED IN HIDDEN FIGURES--DR. KATHERINE GOBLE 
               JOHNSON, DOROTHY VAUGHAN, AND MARY JACKSON

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 14, 2017

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of myself 
and Representatives Robert Wittman, Donald McEachin, and Scott Taylor 
to honor Dr. Katherine Goble Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary 
Jackson, an extraordinary group of women from Hampton Roads, Virginia 
recently featured in the critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated film 
Hidden Figures. Tomorrow evening, Senators Warner, Kaine, and Brown are 
joining me in hosting a screening of Hidden Figures here at the United 
States Capitol. I would like to take a moment to recognize the 
accomplishments of the remarkable women depicted in this film
  Breaking down barriers of both gender and race at the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration, these women, and many like them, 
laid the groundwork for John Glenn to become the first American to 
orbit the earth, and for Neil Armstrong to walk on the moon. I am proud 
that their stories are reaching a wider audience.
  Though she began her career as an educator, in her 28 years working 
for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National 
Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (the forerunner to NASA) Dorothy 
Vaughan helped pave the way for the diverse workforce and leadership 
NASA enjoys today. Beginning at NACA Langley in 1943, Mrs. Vaughan was 
assigned to an all-black computer pool. By 1949, she was the Section 
Head of her group, becoming NACA's first black supervisor and one of 
NACA's first female supervisors. Mrs. Vaughan was one of the first to 
master computer programming and said that she felt like her work at 
NASA Langley put her on ``the cutting edge of something very 
exciting.''
  While she broke barriers at NACA, Mrs. Vaughan also took an active 
role in her community as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 
and a longtime member of St. Paul AME Church of Newport News.
  Early on, Dr. Katherine Goble Johnson showed that she was an 
exceptionally bright young woman. Graduating high school at 14 and 
college at 18, Dr. Johnson worked as an educator before relocating to 
Newport News where, in 1953, she began her work at NASA Langley. She 
too was assigned to an all-black computer pool. Within weeks of her 
entry in the NASA ranks, Dr. Johnson was asked to temporarily assist in 
the Spacecraft Dynamics Branch in the Flight Dynamics and Control 
Division. She never left. There, she became known for her knowledge, 
accuracy and contributions in providing trajectories necessary to 
successful spaceflight.
  Dr. Johnson has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout her 
33 year career with NASA, and was recently awarded the Presidential 
Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. A leader in her community, 
Dr. Johnson has served as President of the Lambda Omega Chapter of the 
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and as a Trustee and Elder at Carver 
Memorial Presbyterian Church in Newport News, Virginia, where she 
continues to be a dedicated member.
  Mary Jackson was born and raised in Hampton, Virginia, and attended 
the Hampton Institute, now Hampton University. She too was an educator 
prior to joining NASA, and after a circuitous journey found her way to 
NASA Langley working as a mathematician in 1951, reporting to Dorothy 
Vaughan. Following additional math and physics work at previously 
segregated Hampton High School, Mrs. Jackson became NASA's first black 
female engineer in 1958.
  An accomplished mathematician, she remained committed to ensuring 
that NASA's female professionals had the opportunity to succeed and 
finished her 34 year career as Langley's Federal Women's Program 
Manager working to hire and mentor NASA's next generation of leaders.
  Mrs. Jackson kept active in her community, as a member of Bethel AME 
Church in Hampton, the Newport News-Hampton Chapter of the Continental 
Societies, Inc., and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Margot Lee Shetterly, author of 
Hidden Figures, for shining a spotlight on the remarkable story of 
these women. As the daughter of a NASA Langley scientist, Mrs. 
Shetterly was surely steeped in the accomplishments of these great 
women growing up. I would also like to thank Theodore Melfi, director 
of the film, actors Octavia Spencer, who played Dorothy Vaughan, 
Janelle Monae, who played Mary Jackson, and Taraji P. Henson, who 
played Katherine Johnson, and all others who played a part in telling 
these women's stories on the silver screen.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud that the stories of these exceptional women 
are no longer hidden. It is my hope that this film will help inspire 
the next generation of leaders to challenge themselves and to strive to 
break through any bathers they may face.

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