Mary Jackson, née Mary Winston, (born April 9, 1921, Hampton, Virginia, U.S. died February 11, 2005, Hampton), American mathematician and aerospace engineer who in 1958 became the first African American female engineer to work at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She was born and raised in Hampton, Virginia. After graduating from high school with highest honours, she earned a dual degree in mathematics and physical science at the Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in 1942. She worked as a math teacher in Maryland for a year before returning to Hampton. She later married Levi Jackson. In 1951 she started
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NASA officially named its Washington, D.C., headquarters building after pioneering engineer Mary Winston Jackson during a ceremony on Friday.
Members of Jackson s family and other prominent guests attended the small ceremony, including NASA Langley Center Director Clayton Turner, retired NASA engineer and Hidden Figure Christine Darden, artist Tenbeete Solomon, and Jackson s grandchildren Wanda and Bryan Jackson.
In addition to unveiling a building sign with Jackson s name, the agency screened video tributes with reflections on her career at NASA, featuring family, friends, colleagues, astronauts, celebrities, elected officials and Hampton University President William R. Harvey.