{"id":262677,"date":"2016-11-22T19:07:20","date_gmt":"2016-11-23T00:07:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-394387"},"modified":"2023-06-27T11:45:02","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T15:45:02","slug":"mary-w-jackson-biography","status":"publish","type":"people","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/people\/mary-w-jackson-biography\/","title":{"rendered":"Mary W. Jackson"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-bio-intro maxw-full width-full padding-y-6 padding-x-3 hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-bio-intro\">\n\t<div class=\"hds-bio-intro-container grid-row grid-container grid-container-block padding-0\">\n\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-4 desktop:grid-col-3\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-bio-thumbnail width-10 tablet:width-card desktop:width-card-lg\">\n\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1198\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1979-b701_p-07085_orig.jpg?w=1024\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large\" alt=\"Portrait of Mary W. Jackson\" style=\"transform: scale(1.2); transform-origin: 65% 15%; object-position: 65% 15%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1979-b701_p-07085_orig.jpg 1041w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1979-b701_p-07085_orig.jpg?resize=256,300 256w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1979-b701_p-07085_orig.jpg?resize=768,899 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1979-b701_p-07085_orig.jpg?resize=875,1024 875w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1979-b701_p-07085_orig.jpg?resize=342,400 342w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1979-b701_p-07085_orig.jpg?resize=513,600 513w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1979-b701_p-07085_orig.jpg?resize=769,900 769w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1979-b701_p-07085_orig.jpg?resize=1026,1200 1026w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-7 desktop:grid-col-9 grid-row margin-0 padding-0\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-8 margin-bottom-2 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1 desktop:margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"display-60 display-block width-full\">Mary W. Jackson<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"p-lg padding-0 margin-0 color-carbon-60\">NACA\/NASA Mathematician and Engineer<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Date of Birth:<\/strong> April 9, 1921<br>\n<strong>Hometown:<\/strong> Hampton, VA<br>\n<strong>Education:<\/strong> B.S., Mathematics and Physical Science, Hampton Institute, 1942<br>\n<strong>Hired by NACA:<\/strong> April 1951<br>\n<strong>Retired from NASA:<\/strong> 1985<br>\n<strong>Date of Death: <\/strong>February 11, 2005<br>\n<strong>Actress Playing Role in Hidden Figures:<\/strong> Janelle Mon\u00e1e<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Mary Winston Jackson, a love of science and a commitment to improving the lives of the people around her were one and the same. In the 1970s, she helped the youngsters in the science club at Hampton\u2019s King Street Community center build their own wind tunnel and use it to conduct experiments. \u201cWe have to do something like this to get them interested in science,\u201d she said in an article for the local newspaper. \u201cSometimes they are not aware of the number of black scientists, and don\u2019t even know of the career opportunities until it is too late.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mary\u2019s own path to an engineering career at the NASA Langley Research Center was far from direct. A native of Hampton, Virginia, she graduated from Hampton Institute in 1942 with a dual degree in Math and Physical Sciences, and accepted a job as a math teacher at a black school in Calvert County, Maryland. Hampton had become one of the nerve centers of the World War II home front effort, and after a year of teaching, Mary returned home, finding a position as the receptionist at the King Street USO Club, which served the city\u2019s black population. It would take three more career changes\u2014a post as a bookkeeper in Hampton Institute\u2019s Health Department, a stint at home following the birth of her son, Levi, and a job as an Army secretary at Fort Monroe\u2014before Mary landed at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory\u2019s segregated West Area Computing section in 1951, reporting to the group\u2019s supervisor Dorothy Vaughan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After two years in the computing pool, Mary received an offer to work for engineer Kazimierz Czarnecki in the 4-foot by 4-foot Supersonic Pressure Tunnel, a 60,000 horsepower wind tunnel capable of blasting models with winds approaching twice the speed of sound. Czarnecki offered Mary hands-on experience conducting experiments in the facility, and eventually suggested that she enter a training program that would allow her to earn a promotion from mathematician to engineer. Trainees had to take graduate level math and physics in after-work courses managed by the University of Virginia. Because the classes were held at then-segregated Hampton High School, however, Mary needed special permission from the City of Hampton to join her white peers in the classroom. Never one to flinch in the face of a challenge, Mary completed the courses, earned the promotion, and in 1958 became NASA\u2019s first black female engineer. That same year, she co-authored her first report, Effects of Nose Angle and Mach Number on Transition on Cones at Supersonic Speeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:24px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-wide\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/image-article\/4x4-supersonic-pressure-tunnel-staff\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1041\" height=\"794\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1956-b701_p-95113_orig.jpg?w=1041\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"4'x4' Supersonic Pressure Tunnel Staff with Mary W. Jackson\" style=\"transform: scale(1.2); transform-origin: 33% 55%; object-position: 33% 55%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1956-b701_p-95113_orig.jpg 1041w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1956-b701_p-95113_orig.jpg?resize=300,229 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1956-b701_p-95113_orig.jpg?resize=768,586 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1956-b701_p-95113_orig.jpg?resize=1024,781 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1956-b701_p-95113_orig.jpg?resize=400,305 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1956-b701_p-95113_orig.jpg?resize=600,458 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lrc-1956-b701_p-95113_orig.jpg?resize=900,686 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1041px) 100vw, 1041px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Mary W. Jackson (first row, right) participated in hands-on experimental work at the 4′ x 4′ Supersonic Pressure Tunnel, NACA’s first supersonic wind tunnel. \u00a0At the time of this staff photo, Jackson was still a human \u201ccomputer,\u201d but had already begun her studies to be an engineer, and obtained a degree in aerospace engineering in 1958.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NACA\/NASA<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Mary began her engineering career in an era in which female engineers of any background were a rarity; in the 1950s, she very well may have been the only black female aeronautical engineer in the field. For nearly two decades she enjoyed a productive engineering career, authoring or co-authoring a dozen or so research reports, most focused on the behavior of the boundary layer of air around airplanes. As the years progressed, the promotions slowed, and she became frustrated at her inability to break into management-level grades. In 1979, seeing that the glass ceiling was the rule rather than the exception for the center\u2019s female professionals, she made a final, dramatic career change, leaving engineering and taking a demotion to fill the open position of Langley\u2019s Federal Women\u2019s Program Manager. There, she worked hard to impact the hiring and promotion of the next generation of all of NASA\u2019s female mathematicians, engineers and scientists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-wide\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/lrc-1977-b701_p-04106_0.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1589\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/lrc-1977-b701_p-04106_0.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Black and white photo of Mary Jackson in front of computers\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/lrc-1977-b701_p-04106_0.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/lrc-1977-b701_p-04106_0.jpg?resize=300,233 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/lrc-1977-b701_p-04106_0.jpg?resize=768,596 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/lrc-1977-b701_p-04106_0.jpg?resize=1024,795 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/lrc-1977-b701_p-04106_0.jpg?resize=1536,1192 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/lrc-1977-b701_p-04106_0.jpg?resize=2048,1589 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/lrc-1977-b701_p-04106_0.jpg?resize=400,310 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/lrc-1977-b701_p-04106_0.jpg?resize=600,466 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/lrc-1977-b701_p-04106_0.jpg?resize=900,698 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/lrc-1977-b701_p-04106_0.jpg?resize=1200,931 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/lrc-1977-b701_p-04106_0.jpg?resize=2000,1552 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Mary W. Jackson successfully overcame the barriers of segregation and gender bias to become NASA’s first black female engineer in 1958 and a leader in ensuring equal opportunities for future generations.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Mary retired from Langley in 1985. Among her many honors were an Apollo Group Achievement Award, and being named Langley\u2019s Volunteer of the Year in 1976. She served as the chair of one of the center\u2019s annual United Way campaigns, was a Girl Scout troop leader for more than three decades, and a member of the National Technical Association (the oldest African American technical organization in the United States).  She and her husband Levi had an open-door policy for young Langley recruits trying to gain their footing in a new town and a new career. A 1976 Langley Researcher profile might have done the best job capturing Mary\u2019s spirit and character, calling her a \u201cgentlelady, wife and mother, humanitarian and scientist.\u201d For Mary W. Jackson, science and service went hand in hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Biography by Margot Lee Shetterly<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Date of Birth: April 9, 1921 Hometown: Hampton, VA Education: B.S., Mathematics and Physical Science, Hampton Institute, 1942 Hired by NACA: April 1951 Retired from NASA: 1985 Date of Death: February 11, 2005 Actress Playing Role in Hidden Figures: Janelle Mon\u00e1e For Mary Winston Jackson, a love of science and a commitment to improving the [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":271085,"template":"","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_people_facebook_url":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_people_twitter_url":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_people_instagram_url":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_people_linkedin_url":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_people_title":"NACA\/NASA Mathematician and Engineer"},"categories":[2668],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[],"coauthors":[12404,8640],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"WebPage","headline":"Mary W. 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Jackson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/people\/mary-w-jackson-biography\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"index\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/lrc-1977-b701_p-04106_0.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2016-11-23T00:07:20Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"People of NASA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"People of NASA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Margot Lee Shetterly\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Sandra L. Johnson\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":4,"featured_image":{"id":271085,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/lrc-1977-b701_p-04106_0.jpg","title":"Mary Jackson at Work NASA Langley","alt":"Black and white photo of Mary Jackson in front of computers","caption":"Mary Jackson grew up in Hampton, Virginia. After graduating with highest honors from high school, she then continued her education at Hampton Institute, earning her Bachelor of Science Degrees in Mathematics and Physical Science. Following graduation, Mary taught in Maryland prior to joining NASA."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/people\/262677"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/people"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/people"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/people\/262677\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":376136,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/people\/262677\/revisions\/376136"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262677"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=262677"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=262677"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=262677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}