Mary Golda Ross
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." |
| 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. She was also the first female engineer in the history of the Lockheed Corporation. She worked at Lockheed from 1942 until her retirement in 1973, where she was best remembered for her work on aerospace design. She was one of the 40 founding engineers of the renowned and highly secretive Skunk Works project while at Lockheed Corporation. Throughout her life, Ross was dedicated to the advancement of young women and Native Americans in STEM fields. 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.