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How did Mary Golda Ross become the first Native American female Engineer to work on some of the most top-secret Cold War Aerospace technologies? “It started with a firm foundation in mathematics and qualities that came down to me from my Indian heritage,” Ross shared.
Ross’s early years were rich with Cherokee tradition and history. She reflected on her time in elementary and high school, saying, “I had as many teachers who were Indians as non-Indians. My high school math teacher was a Cherokee.” After graduating from high school, she enrolled in Northeastern State Teacher’s College in Tahlequah and earned a mathematics degree in 1928.
She became a teacher and spent almost ten years tutoring math and science in public schools. In 1937, Ross became a counselor to female students at the Santa Fe Indian School in New Mexico, a government-run boarding school for Native Americans.
During her summer breaks between 1932 and 1938, Ross took classes, finished her graduate studies at Colorado State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Colorado), and earned a master’s degree in mathematics. She felt strongly about continuing her studies. “The world is so technical, if you plan to work in it, a math background will let you go farther and faster,” Ross said.
Ross, like many other Native Americans, volunteered for military duty during World War II. She started working as a study mathematical research assistant for Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in Burbank, California, in 1942. She belonged to the Advanced Research Programs team called Skunk Works. Ross and her coworkers improved the P-38 Lightning, an interceptor used by the US Army Air Forces and other military aircraft. She was an expert in the investigation of how hydrodynamic forces affect airplanes.
Ross then attended the University of California-Los Angeles Extension School to finish advanced aeronautical engineering courses. Thanks to her education, Ross qualified to be a professional engineer in 1949. She was the earliest Native American lady inventor ever identified and assumed more authority thanks to her new position.
Meanwhile, advances in politics and technology created new fields of study. After World War Two, a cold war broke out, and the US military prioritized developing a new weapon—rockets. In response, Lockheed created the Lockheed Missiles and Space Corporation. Ross worked on numerous initiatives with this new business, such as the Polaris weapon fired from submarines and the Agena launch vehicle that transported military, intelligence, and civilian payloads to space.
Although the full extent of Ross’s contributions to the US aircraft industry is unclear because much of her work is still secret, they had both instant and long-lasting effects. She also produced groundbreaking work. She contributed to NASA’s Interplanetary Flight Guidebook, Vol. 3 (1963), which provided information on the flight routes of Mars and Venus-bound satellites. Teams of academics studying human spaceflight used this resource to guide their work.
Ross was a champion for women and Native people in engineering and had a lifetime dedication to education and service. She was a founding member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). This group promoted mentorship and scholarship programs for engineering students and career growth opportunities for working engineers. Ross taught in intermediate and college classrooms, provided scholarships, and served on the SWE national leadership council throughout her engagement with the organization. She was also involved in the American Indian Science and Engineering Association, which was established in 1977 to aid Native students in science and engineering at all academic levels. Native engineering students regarded Ross as a “hero.”
Mary Golda Ross
Mary Golda Ross: Aerospace Engineer, Educator, and Advocate
Mary Golda Ross: She Reached for the Stars
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