The Astronaut Wives Club, 1959. Back row, Jo Schirra and Louise Shepard; middle row, Annie Glenn, Rene Carpenter and Marjorie Slayton; bottom row, Trudy Cooper and Betty Grissom
(Life Magazine, cover photo, September 21, 1959)
The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story by Lily Koppel; 629.45 K83a
The wives of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo astronauts joined together to support and encourage one another through the historic flights, the national publicity campaigns, and even heartbreaking loss. In this engaging book, Lily Koppel tells about the lives of Louise Shepard, Annie Glenn, Jo Schirra, Betty Grissom, and the other wives of the astronauts. Per the publisher this is, “the real story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history.”
Did you know that women trained to be astronauts at the same time that John Glenn and Alan Shepherd were training? Check out this blog post to learn about Wally Funk and the other women known as the Mercury 13.
7 members of the Mercury 13, pictured in 1995
(NASA, public domain)
The book,Earning It: Hard-Won Lessons from Trailblazing Women at the Top of the Business World; (650.1082 L929e), contains stories from women in the business world who broke the glass ceiling barrier. Joann Lublin, the author and a glass-ceiling breaker herself, talks with and shares insights from fifty women who became leaders, and she presents her own story along with those she interviews.
Visit this blog post to find out about Lilly Ledbetter, another woman who broke barriers in the business world.
Upon her death, Dr. Nettie Stevens received notoriety in two publications, the journal, Science, and the newspaper, The New York Times. What prompted the national coverage of her death? Stevens, who had degrees from Stanford and Bryn Mawr and had studied genetics in Germany, determined how the male of a species determines the sex of the offspring (Gelling, 2016). Sadly, Dr. Stevens was not able to see all the results of her studies because she died of breast cancer when she was just 50 years old (Gelling, 2016). To learn more about Dr. Stevens and her work, visit one of these sites:
Cat Cora, a Food Network and Iron Chef star, has cooking in her roots, so to speak, because her grandfather and uncle had restaurants in Mississippi. Chef Cora’s training at the Culinary Institute of America and under chefs in the United States and France, including Roger Vergé and Georges Blanc, prepared her well. She was able to cook for and impress Chef Jacques Pépin, and she also became the first female Iron Chef on the Food Network show, Iron Chef America. (Hamilton, pp. 87-93)
The library has materials by or about Chef Cat Cora, and they are listed below for you. You may borrow any of the following from the Sullivan Lexington Library:
The widow of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. supported her husband and left a legacy of her own. She marched with him, attended meetings in his absence, helped coordinate meetings, cared for their four children, and managed their home (Vivian, p. 45).
Mrs. King has a children’s book award named in her honor, The Coretta Scott King Book Award. This award is given annually by the American Library Association’s Ethnic Materials Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT), and it was founded in 1969 by Mabel McKissack and Glyndon Greer (ALA, 2017). The 2017 winner of the Coretta Scott King author award was the book March Book: Three by Congressman John Lewis and author Andrew Aydin. (ALA, Coretta, 2017)
The Lexington Library and Learning Resource Center has a book about Ms. King, available for borrowing: Coretta: The Story of Coretta Scott King by Octavia Vivian; call number: 323.092 V858c
______________________________ Sources:
American Library Association. (2017). The Coretta Scott King Book Awards. Retrieved from: http://www.ala.org/emiert/cskbookawards
Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan
Left to right: Justices O'Conner, Sotomayor, Ginsburg, Kagan
The four women who have served as justices for the nation’s highest court were nominated by three different presidents. Three of the justices graduated from Ivy League schools (Harvard, Yale, and Cornell), and the fourth from Stanford, yet their formative years were not necessarily as privileged as their higher education institutions suggest.
To learn more about these historic women, stop by the library and borrow some of the books we have about them, visit this blog post, or go to the Supreme Court’s website.
With a degree in chemical engineering, Janez Lawson, joined the team of computers (women mathematicians and scientists) at the Jet Propulsion Lab in California. She became the first African-American woman to be a part of the team, and Ms. Lawson was one of two women who received advance training from IBM about how to use their computers. Ms. Lawson learned how to program the IBM 701 computer. After working for the Jet Propulsion Lab, Ms. Lawson worked as a chemical engineer for the Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation, an aeronautical company (Holt, 127).
Left to right: Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson at a NASA award ceremony
The real-life women portrayed in the movie Hidden Figures were instrumental in the success of the United States space program.
Mary Jackson worked for NASA from 1951 until 1985. She did important scientific and mathematical work, like Katherine Johnson, yet she also made her mark as a human resources manager tasked with EEOC responsibilities (Shetterly, 257-260). This is a quote from Mary’s obituary, written by Mary’s protégé and successor, Gloria Champine, “She was a role model of the highest character, and through her quiet, behind-the-scenes efforts managed to help many minorities and women reach their highest potential through promotions and movement into supervisory positions.” (Shetterly, 260).
Educated in mathematics, Katherine Johnson was responsible for calculations related to Mercury missions and the Apollo 11 and 13 missions. Ms. Johnson worked at NASA from 1953 until 1986, and she is still living today (Boyd, 2016). She received the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Obama, in 2015.
Dorothy Vaughan, a math whiz, and the third woman portrayed in the Hidden Figures movie, worked as a research mathematician and the section head of the group of women computers known as West Computing. Per a quote from the book Hidden Figures, “History would prove them all right: there was no one better qualified for the job [Head of the West Area Computers unit] than Dorothy Vaughan.” (Shetterly, p.92)
Sources:
Boyd, H. (2016, September 15-21). ‘Hidden Figures’ No More—Katherine Johnson and Mary Jackson of NASA. New York Amsterdam News. 107:38. pp. 28-31.
Shetterly, M. L. (2016). Hidden Figures. New York: William Morrow.
The first African American to go into space was Dr. Guion
Bluford, Jr. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering. Dr.
Bluford then entered the United States Air Force, and served as a pilot in
Vietnam. He went on to earn a Master’s and a Ph.D. degree in aerospace
engineering. “Dr. Bluford became an astronaut in 1979. . . and in 1983, Bluford
became the first African American to go into space aboard the STS-8” (Asante,
61). Bluford, was among four men who became the first African American
astronauts; the other three are: Dr. Ronald McNair, Major General Charles
Bolden, Jr., and Frederick Gregory. Dr. Bluford attended the reinternment ceremony
of explorer Matthew Henson, and he was among the NASA astronauts who attended
the funeral of Dr. Ronald McNair.
A native of Columbia, S.C., Mr. Bolden became the
first African American in charge of NASA’s space program. Before becoming the
lead administrator at NASA, Mr. Bolden graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in
1968, served in Vietnam, Kuwait, and Japan, earned a Master’s degree in systems
management, and was a NASA astronaut for 14 years. In 1990, during his fourteen
year term at NASA, Major General Bolden piloted the Space Shuttle Discovery. On
this mission he and his team launched the Hubble Space Telescope. Major General
Bolden became NASA’s 12th administrator, the first African American
to hold this position, in 2009.
Here is a video about Major General Bolden, presented by actor Levar Burton.
Go to the link below to see Major General Bolden's flight suit.
Astronaut Frederick Gregory was born in the United States in Washington, D. C. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a degree in science, and he went on to earn a master's degree in information systems (NASA, n.d.). Mr. Gregory became an astronaut in 1978 and worked for NASA until 2005 (NASA, n.d). Along with Dr. Bluford, Major General Bolden, and Dr. McNair, Mr. Gregory was one of the first four African-American astronauts.
A Brilliant Physicist-Dr. Ronald McNair
(Photo by NASA)
The accomplished Dr. McNair, one of the 7 astronauts
who perished during the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, was the
second African American to go into space and the first to die in space. Dr.
McNair had a Ph.D. in Physics from MIT, and he excelled early on in life
becoming valedictorian of his high school class (Cheers, 84). According to Ebony magazine,
Dr. McNair was, “recognized nationally for his work in the field of laser
physics” (Cheers, 84). In addition to his scientific pursuits, Dr. McNair
played the saxophone and was a sixth degree black belt in karate. In a tribute
to Dr. McNair in Ebony magazine, it was said that he, “walked humbly and never
boasted about his achievements” (Cheers, 90). The Reverend Jesse Jackson, who
was a friend of Dr. McNair’s, spoke at his funeral.
Go here to see an interview on CBS News with Dr. McNair’s widow.
_______________________________
Sources:
Asante, M.K. (2002). 100 Greatest African Americans: A Biographical Encyclopedia. New York: Prometheus Books. pp.61.
Cheers, D.M. (1986, May). Requiem for a Hero: ‘Touching the Face of God.’ Ebony. 41(7). pp. 82-94.
Joiner, L. (2009, Fall). Bold Moves. The Crisis. 116(4). pp. 22-27
Leavy, W. (1983). Lt. Co. Guion S. Bluford Jr. takes…A Historic Step Into Outer Space. Ebony, 39(1), pp. 162-168.
Myers, A. (2005). Bluford, Guion Stewart (Guy). In Appiah, K.A. & Gates, H.L., (eds). Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience, 2nd. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 558.
Mr. Dorantes is the first known African man to serve as a tour guide in what is now the United States of America. Mr. Dorantes was born in the African country of Morocco, and, according to the Africana encyclopedia, he was also known as Estevanico, Esteban, Estevanico the Moor, Black Stephen, and Esteban de Dorantes. In the late 1520s, Mr. Dorantes guided a group of Spaniards across the southern and western parts of the country, well before the lands that he and the others crossed were part of the United States.
___________________________
Source:
Obregón, L. (2005). Estebanico. In Appiah, K.A. and Gates, H.L., (Eds). Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience, 2nd. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 555.
Matthew Henson, an indispensable team member on the expedition to reach the North Pole, served as an interpreter (he spoke the Eskimo language), navigator, and fellow guide to Commander Robert Peary. Mr. Henson’s relationship with Admiral Peary began in 1887, when he and Peary went to Nicaragua to do canal work. Even though Peary is credited with being the first person to discover the North Pole, Mr. Henson actually reached the pole 45 minutes before Peary did (p. 155).
Mr. Henson wrote the book A Black Explorer at the North Pole in 1912, and in it he detailed his experiences of going to the North Pole. Though not given the honor he was due during his lifetime or at the time of his death in 1955, Mr. Henson was reburied at Arlington National Cemetery in 1988 (p. 156).
___________________________
Sources:
Asante, M.K. (2002). 100 Greatest African Americans: A Biographical Encyclopedia. New York: Prometheus Books. pp. 155-156.
A Final Resting Place for Matthew Henson. (1988, July). Ebony. 43(9).
A largely uncredited member of the Lewis and Clark
expedition, Captain William Clark’s slave, York, participated in the exploration
of the Louisiana Purchase. He even voted with the group in 1805 when there was
a decision to be made about camping for the winter. Even though, York, “seems
to have performed the same duties as the other expedition privates,” he did not
receive compensation for his efforts (Lauderdale, 2004). He was still a slave
to Captain Clark when the expedition ended, but York was freed by Clark about five years later.
______________________ Source:
Lauderdale, B. (2004, April). Westerners. Wild West. 16(6). pp.10-11.
Sellman, J. (2005). Military, Blacks in the American.
In Appiah, K.A. and Gates, H.L., (Eds).Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and
African American Experience, 2nd. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 13.
Benjamin Banneker, a self-taught astronomer with an aptitude
for mathematics, also made a clock, worked as a farmer, wrote almanacs, and
worked closely with Pierre L’Enfant and George Ellicott on the layout of
Washington, D.C. Mr. Banneker came into the world as a free man in 1731, in the
state of Maryland (Asante, 48). After his
work in Washington D.C., Mr. Banneker produced almanacs that he sold in the United States
and abroad (Asante, 49). Mr. Banneker died in 1806 (Asante, 48).
____________________________
Source: Asante, M.K. (2002). 100 Greatest African Americans:
A Biographical Encyclopedia. New York: Prometheus Books. pp. 48-49.
Dr. Mae Jemison, a physician and a NASA astronaut,
graduated from high school and enrolled in college when she was
sixteen-years-old. With undergraduate degrees in chemical engineering and African American
Studies, and a medical degree from Cornell University, Dr. Jemison began her professional career doing
non-profit medical work. She served in a refugee camp in Asia and as a medical
officer in the countries of Sierra Leone and Liberia (Asante, 172). In 1992, she completed her astronaut training with NASA. Then, in the same year, Dr. Jemison became the first African American woman to go into space
on the Spacelab-J mission (Asante, 173).
For more information about Dr. Jemison, including her Twitter account, see the links and references included here :
Rear Admiral Fields, broke both the glass ceiling and racial barriers when she became, “the first woman officer from any of the U.S. uniformed services to command a commissioned U.S. ship.” (First Woman, 88). Fields grew up in Norfolk, VA, and graduated with a degree in mathematics from Norfolk State University. She became an officer 1973, and, in 1999, she became the first woman and first African American to command the Office of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Corps Operations and NOAA Commissioned Corps (Kouhestani, 1999).
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