Annie J. Easley

Early Life

Annie Jean Easley was born on April 23, 1933 in Birmingham, Alabama to Samuel and Mary Easley. She was raised by her single mother there until she left for college in 1951 at Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Easley initally studied pharmacy. She left school and returned to Birmingham in 1945... Despite not having a B.A., she worked as a substitute teacher in Jefferson County, Alabama. Due to Jim Crow laws, she had to pay a poll tax and pass a test on Alabama's history in order to vote. Using her college background, Easley helped others overcome these voting restrictions. In 1954, she married a military man and moved to Cleveland, Ohio to be near his family. After unsuccessfully attempting to continue her pharmacy education in 1955, Easley read an article highlighting twin sisters who worked as “human computers” at the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory in Cleveland. The lab, at the time, was ran by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and was eventually absorbed into the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) when it was founded on October 1, 1958. The article noted that individuals with strong mathematics skills were needed at the laboratory, which Easley had. Read more

Career

• Began 34 year-long NASA career as a computer scientist and mathematician
• Human computer: analyzed problems for engineers and calculated mathmatical computations by hand
• Was only one of four African-American employees at the lab
• Learned Formula Translating System (Fortran) and the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)
• Majorly involved in space research starting with the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit in 1962
• Her most famous contribution was on the Centaur Rocket project.
• During early 1960s, Easley began working on nuclear-powered rocket systems including the Centaur high-energy booster rocket, which had its first successful launch in 1963.

Post-Career & Civic Work

Easley returned to school in 1970s to earn her degree in mathematics from Cleveland State. She...

1. educated students about NASA’s work and inspired female/minority students to consider STEM careers
2. took on the additional role of an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) counselor, helping supervisors address issues of gender, race, and age in discrimination
3. helped pave the way for women’s rights at the Center when she and her room supervisor made a pact to wear pantsuits the following day
4. retired in 1989, but remained an active participant in the Speaker’s Bureau and the Business & Professional Women’s association

Works Cited