Rose State College President Dr. Jeanie Webb Attends Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony Honoring NASA’s “Hidden Figures” Published September 18, 2024

Rose State College President Dr. Jeanie Webb was honored to attend the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony today at the U.S. Capitol, commemorating the extraordinary contributions of the women known as the “Hidden Figures of NASA.” House Speaker Mike Johnson presided over the ceremony, which was held inside Emancipation Hall. The ceremony stems from the Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act, signed into law in 2019. 

Dr. Webb attended the prestigious event alongside Chancellor Allison Garrett and other Oklahoma college presidents, at the invitation of Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas. The ceremony recognized the women whose groundbreaking work was pivotal in America’s race to the moon, yet whose contributions were historically overlooked due to racial and gender barriers. 

Among the honorees were Katherine Johnson, Dr. Christine Darden, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, whose stories were brought to light in the 2016 book and film Hidden Figures. A Congressional Gold Medal was also awarded in recognition of all the women who served as mathematicians, engineers, and "human computers" at NASA and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), from the 1930s to the 1970s. 

“These remarkable women overcame tremendous obstacles, breaking barriers that not only changed the course of NASA’s history but also our nation’s history,” said Dr. Webb. “It was a profound honor to be in attendance today, to celebrate their legacies and contributions. They not only advanced our understanding of space, but they also paved the way for future generations of women and people of color in STEM fields.”

The Congressional Gold Medals were awarded as follows:

• Katherine Johnson, for her groundbreaking work as a mathematician;
• Dr. Christine Darden, for her service as an aeronautical engineer;
• Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, in posthumous recognition of their contributions to the Space Race;
• A collective award for the women who served as computers, mathematicians, and engineers at NASA and NACA between the 1930s and 1970s.

The Congressional Gold Medal is one of the highest civilian honors in the United States, awarded by an Act of Congress for distinguished achievements.