Remembering Katherine Johnson

Katherine Johnson, a West Virginia native and one of the most brilliant mathematics in U.S. history, passed away on February 24, 2020 at age 101. She worked for NASA for 33 years, and calculated the trajectories that led Apollo 11 to the moon. Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, the nation’s highest civilian honor. She was a pioneer in many aspects, including being one of the first black graduate students to integrate West Virginia University and opening doors for women and people of color in STEM fields. For these and other reasons, Johnson embodies many of the things that WV Women Moving Forward is trying to accomplish.