Mary Golda Ross | |
|---|---|
 Native American Engineer | |
| Born | August 9, 1908 Park Hill, Oklahoma, United States |
| Died | April 29, 2008 (aged 99) Los Altos, California, United States |
| Resting place | Ross Cemetery, Park Hill, Oklahoma, United States 35°51′04″N 94°56′52″W / 35.851221°N 94.947831°W |
| Nationality | Cherokee Nation |
| Citizenship | American |
| Education | Northeastern State Teachers' College, bachelor's degree in mathematics, 1928
Colorado State Teachers College in Greeley, master's degree in mathematics, 1938 University of California, Los Angeles, professional certificate in engineering, 1949 |
| Known for | First Native American female engineer |
| Notable work | Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Skunk Works Project Polaris Project Agena Rocket Project Poseidon Missile Project Trident Missile Project NASA Planetary Flight Handbook Vol. 3 |
| Relatives | Great-grandfather: John Ross |
| Engineering career | |
| Employer(s) | Lockheed Corporation, 1942; joined their Advanced Development Program (Skunk Works), 1952. |
| Significant design | "Preliminary design concepts for interplanetary space travel, crewed and uncrewed earth-orbiting flights, the earliest studies of orbiting satellites for both defense and civilian purposes."[1] |
| Awards | Silicon Valley Engineering Council’s Hall of Fame, 1992, Fellow and life member of the Society of Women Engineers, and others |
Mary Golda Ross (August 9, 1908 – April 29, 2008) was the first Native American female engineer.[2] She was also the first female engineer in the history of the Lockheed Corporation.[2] She worked at Lockheed from 1942 until her retirement in 1973, where she was best remembered for her work on aerospace design.[3] She was one of the 40 founding engineers of the renowned and highly secretive Skunk Works project while at Lockheed Corporation.[4] Throughout her life, Ross was dedicated to the advancement of young women and Native Americans in STEM fields.[3] Ten years after her death, in 2018, Ross was chosen to be depicted on the 2019 Native American $1 Coin by the U.S. Mint celebrating Native Americans in the space program.[5]
- ^ Williams, Jasmin K. (March 21, 2013). "Mary Golda Ross: The first Native American female engineer". Amsterdam News. New York. Archived from the original on April 10, 2013. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
- ^ a b "Hall of Fame: Mary G. Ross". Silicon Valley Engineering Council. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
- ^ a b "Mary Ross". mathwomen.agnesscott.org. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ "Mary G. Ross (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ "United States Mint Unveils Design for 2019 Native American $1 Coin Reverse". December 10, 2018. Archived from the original on December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2018.