HONORING GLADYS WEST

HONORING GLADYS WEST

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 41 (Wednesday, March 4, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 4, 2026)] [House] [Page H2377] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING GLADYS WEST (Ms. Foxx of North Carolina was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, March is Women's History Month, a time when we make an extra effort to honor and recognize women across the United States and the world who have made a positive, sustained impact upon society. The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article honoring the life of Gladys West, a brilliant mathematician who played an integral role in creating GPS technology. Gladys was a 42-year civilian employee of the United States Navy. Due to the classified nature of her work, few individuals knew of her contributions to this now popular and essential technology as it was being developed. Here are quotes from the article I have referenced: ``In her 42-year career as a civilian employee of the Navy, West learned to program computers and solve mathematical problems she could never have imagined in graduate school. Some of her work involved measuring the precise contours of the Earth, on land and at sea, allowing for the effects of tides and other forces. She was particularly diligent about checking for accuracy. The research was vital for creation of the Global Positioning System, or GPS, a priority for the U.S. military in the 1970s and 1980s.'' Ms. West was inducted into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2018 and was awarded the President's Award by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for her work in helping create GPS. Mr. Speaker, Ms. West's story is one of service, hard work, determination, and perseverance, and I am quite certain that her story and accomplishments will continue to serve as an inspiration for generations of proud Americans to come. I thank Gladys' family for sharing her so wonderfully with the rest of the world. I thank Gladys, even though she is now gone, for the wonderful work that she did in helping our country and the world. ____________________