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Dorothy Vaughan — Portrait
Portrait. NASA / NASA on The Commons. Image credit & source

Mathematics · Computer programming · Scientific team leadership

Dorothy Vaughan

1910–2008

STEMUS

Vaughan led Langley’s West Area Computing group from 1949 to 1958, becoming NACA’s first Black supervisor. She organized mathematical work and advocated for colleagues’ advancement. As electronic computing expanded, she became an expert FORTRAN programmer and contributed to NASA’s Scout Launch Vehicle Program. Her story, alongside Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, is depicted in Hidden Figures; the film dramatizes their history, while the NASA sources document their work.[1],[2]

Read this story

Vaughan led Langley’s West Area Computing group from 1949 to 1958, becoming NACA’s first Black supervisor. She organized mathematical work and advocated for colleagues’ advancement. As electronic computing expanded, she became an expert FORTRAN programmer and contributed to NASA’s Scout Launch Vehicle Program. Her story, alongside Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, is depicted in Hidden Figures; the film dramatizes their history, while the NASA sources document their work.[1],[2]

Local connection. National aviation and computing connection: she taught in Farmville and carried out her NACA and NASA work at Langley in Hampton, Virginia.

Impact reached: Langley women mathematicians; United States aeronautical research; Scout Launch Vehicle Program. (Impact describes who was reached; it is not a place of residence.)

From institutional research

Deeper context

NASA: Dorothy Vaughan

NASA

According to NASA: 1943 — Joins West Computing: Begins work at NACA Langley in December. 1949 — Leads a mathematical team: Becomes NACA’s first Black supervisor, leading West Area Computing.[3]

NASA Langley: Dorothy J. Vaughan

NASA

According to NASA: 1958 — Moves into integrated computing: Joins the Analysis and Computation Division as NACA becomes NASA; later work includes FORTRAN programming.[4]

Inquiry & making

Inquiry and making prompt

Write a short sequence of instructions for a partner to draw a shape without seeing yours. Test the instructions, find unclear steps, and revise them.

Places

Where Dorothy was born, had roots or studied, and worked — distinguished from where their impact reached.

Born
Kansas City, Missouri
Roots / education
Morgantown, West Virginia; Wilberforce, Ohio
Worked
Farmville, Virginia; Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia
Loading map…
Mapped places for Dorothy Vaughan
RelationshipDocumented placeMap pointSources
BirthplaceKansas City, MissouriKansas City city, MOCensus representative point[1][2]
Roots / educationMorgantown, West VirginiaMorgantown city, WVCensus representative point[1][2]
Roots / educationWilberforce, OhioWilberforce CDP, OHCensus representative point[1][2]
WorkFarmville, VirginiaFarmville town, VACensus representative point[1][2]
WorkLangley Research Center, Hampton, VirginiaHampton city, VACensus representative point[1][2]

Timeline

  1. 1910-09-20

    Born — Kansas City, Missouri[1],[3]

  2. 1943

    Joins West Computing: Begins work at NACA Langley in December.[1],[3]

  3. 1949

    Leads a mathematical team: Becomes NACA’s first Black supervisor, leading West Area Computing.[1],[3]

  4. 1958

    Moves into integrated computing: Joins the Analysis and Computation Division as NACA becomes NASA; later work includes FORTRAN programming.[2],[4]

  5. 2008-11-10

    Died[1],[3]

Gallery

Portrait only in this edition; no reuse-supported contextual media has been verified for this figure yet.

Dorothy Vaughan: Portrait
Dorothy Vaughan — portraitPhotograph date unspecifiedPortrait.Credit: NASA / NASA on The CommonsLicense / rights: No known copyright restrictions, as stated by NASA on The Commons for this exact image. Credit NASA; this is an institutional rights statement, not a claim of proven public-domain status. Use in a factual educational biography without implied NASA endorsement.Source recordOriginal-quality file

References

  1. [1]
    NASA: Dorothy Vaughan

    Supports: Exact life dates, 1943 hiring, 1949–1958 leadership, advocacy, FORTRAN, Scout work, and 1971 retirement.

  2. [2]
    NASA Langley: Dorothy J. Vaughan

    Supports: Kansas City birth, Morgantown upbringing, Wilberforce education, Farmville teaching, and Langley career.

  3. [3]
    NASA: Dorothy Vaughan

    NASA

    Supports: 1943 — Joins West Computing: Begins work at NACA Langley in December. 1949 — Leads a mathematical team: Becomes NACA’s first Black supervisor, leading West Area Computing.

  4. [4]
    NASA Langley: Dorothy J. Vaughan

    NASA

    Supports: 1958 — Moves into integrated computing: Joins the Analysis and Computation Division as NACA becomes NASA; later work includes FORTRAN programming.

Last reviewed 2026-11-08 · NASA trio addition; primary-source review · Record ID dorothy-vaughan. A curated, source-informed article — not openly editable and not independently scholar-reviewed. Corrections process.