Geocaching would not be possible without GPS systems. But, who develop GPS? One of the GPS pioneers was Dr Gladys West who was one of the “Hidden Figures”. Althought she did not throw the "BLUE SWITCH", she made major contributions to the development of GPS systems
Gladys Brown West (née Gladys Mae Brown) was born in Sutherland, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County, a rural county south of Richmond, on October 27, 1930. Her family was an African American farming family in a community of sharescroppers. She was the second of four children. She spent much of her childhood working on her family's small farm. As well as working on the farm, her mother worked in a tobacco factory and her father worked for the railroad. West saw education as her way to a different life.
West graduated from high school as valedictorian in 1948, and received full scholarships to Virginia State College (now VSU), a historically black school. At VSU, she chose to study mathematics, a subject that was mostly studied by men. West graduated in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics. She spent the next four years teaching mathematics and science.
In 1956, West was hired to work at the Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren, Virginia (later the Naval Surface Warfare Center.) She was the second black woman hired and one of only four black employees. She was a computer programmer in the Dahlgren division, and a project manager for processing systems for satellite data analysis.
During her time at Dahlgren, her greatest accomplishment was the creation of an extremely detailed geodetic model of the Earth that became the foundation for the Global Positioning System (GPS).
West worked at Dahlgren Naval Surface Warfare Center for 42 years, and retired in 1998. In 2000, she completed a PhD in Public Administration at Virginia Tech by distance learning. West died in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on January 17, 2026, at the age of 95.
In 2024, the Fredericksburg City School Board voted to name its third elementary school in her honor, Gladys West Elementary School. The school is located a block away from the coordinates for this cache.
On a personal note, although I never meet Dr West, I did work with one of her sons for several years. I do have several friends who did work with her at Dahlgren.
Logging requirements.
The coordinates will take you a sign at the entrance road to the school that was named after Dr West. Please do not go to the school.
Send/submit answers to the following: (Questions 2 and 3 will require a quick google search.)
1. Near the school sign is a electric meter. What is the 8 digit number after DominionEnergy.com?
2. What was her husband's first name?
3. What is the title of her autobiography.
4. Take a photo of yourself with the school sign in the background and attach it to your log. A personal item with the sign in the background is an acceptable option.
Logs will be deleted if they do not contain the necessary photo and the answers have not been sent within 24 hours.
Congratulations to 2getherbetter and DVC1 for the FTF
Virtual Rewards 5.0 - 2026-2027
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between February 3, 2026 and February 3, 2027. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 5.0 on the Geocaching Blog.