Virginia's General Assembly passed House Joint Resolution No. 563 commending Dr. Gladys B. West for her pioneering contributions to GPS-enabling mathematical modeling.
On March 14, 2019, the Virginia General Assembly passed House Joint Resolution No. 563, formally commending Dr. Gladys B. West for her groundbreaking contributions to mathematics and satellite geodesy that enabled the development of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.
The resolution represented official state-level recognition from West's home state, acknowledging both her scientific legacy and her personal journey from a rural farming family in Dinwiddie County to becoming a nationally significant figure in the history of technology. Legislative resolutions of this kind serve as formal, public records of a state's appreciation for the achievements of its citizens, and this one specifically highlighted West's decades of work at the Naval Proving Ground and Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren.
This honor came amid a wave of renewed public interest in West's story following media coverage that began in 2017, which cast her as one of the 'hidden figures' whose critical scientific work had gone largely unrecognized for decades due to the era's racial and gender barriers. The Virginia resolution helped cement her place in state history and encouraged further recognition efforts, including museum exhibits and additional awards in subsequent years.