Katherine Johnson’s Death – Cause and Date
The mathematician Katherine Johnson died at the age of 101. Here is all you want to know and more!
Biography - A Short Wiki
Renowned physicist and mathematician most famous for her work with NASA. She is considered a pioneer for African-American women in the scientific community. She was among the first African-American women mathematicians to work at NASA.
Former President Obama once said, “Katherine G. Johnson refused to be limited by society’s expectations of her gender and race while expanding the boundaries of humanity’s reach.”
Personal Life
She married James Francis Goble in 1939. They had three daughters together.
In 1956, James succumbed to an inoperable brain tumor. Three years after his passing, Katherine entered into a 60-year marriage with James A. “Jim” Johnson, a United States Army officer and Korean War veteran, until his demise in March 2019 at 93.
Death
On February 24, 2020, at the age of 101, Johnson passed away from natural causes at a retirement home in Newport News.
Jim Bridenstine, the administrator of NASA, described her as “an American hero” and said that “her pioneering legacy will never be forgotten.”
Mrs. Johnson’s colleague, Mary Jackson, died in 2005. Another colleague, Dorothy Vaughan, died in 2008.
Legacy and Honors
Both in life and after death, Katherine Johnson has been a celebrated role model, demonstrated by all the honors she has received. These include:
- She was named West Virginia State College Outstanding Alumnus of the Year in 1999.
- Former President Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 24, 2015.
- NASA named two facilities in her honor on May 5, 2016, and September 22, 2017, respectively.
- On November 6, 2020, a satellite named after her was launched into space.
- In February 2021, Northrop Grumman named its spacecraft to supply the International Space Station the SS Katherine Johnson in her honor.
Quotes
""Take all the courses in your curriculum. Do the research. Ask questions. Find someone doing what you are interested in! Be curious!"
""I don't have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I'm as good as anybody, but no better."
""I'm always interested in learning something new."
""I counted everything. I counted the steps to the road, the steps up to church, the number of dishes and silverware I washed... anything that could be counted, I did."
""Like what you do, and then you will do your best."