DIRECTOR OF NASA'S LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER, AND IT IS MY

HONOR TO WELCOME EVERYONE TO TODAY'S SPECIAL EVENT -- THE

OFFICIAL NAMING CEREMONY OF THE FUTURE KATHERINE G. JOHNSON

COMPUTATIONAL RESEARCH FACILITY. AT THIS TIME, PLEASE SILENCE

YOUR CELL PHONES AS WE HONOR OUR NATION WITH THE POSTING OF OUR

COUNTRY'S COLORS BY THE U.S. JOINT BASE LANGLEY EUSTIS COLOR

GUARD, AND THE SINGING OF OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM BY NASA LANGLEY

RESEARCHER KERRY GOUGH. \M O SAY, CAN YOU SEE

BY THE DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT \M \M WHAT SO PROUDLY WE HAILED

AT THE TWILIGHT'S LAST GLEAMING? \M

\M WHOSE BROAD STRIPES AND BRIGHT STARS

THROUGH THE PERILOUS FIGHT \M \M O'ER THE RAMPARTS

WE WATCHED WERE SO GALLANTLY

STREAMING? \M \M AND THE ROCKETS'

RED GLARE THE BOMBS BURSTING

IN AIR \M \M GAVE PROOF

THROUGH THE NIGHT THAT OUR FLAG

WAS STILL THERE \M \M OH, SAY, DOES THAT

STAR-SPANGLED BANNER YET WAVE \M

\M O'ER THE LAND OF THE FREE \M

\M AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE? \M\M

>> TURN, POST. POST.

MARCH. >> YOU CAN TAKE YOUR SEATS,

PLEASE. ALTHOUGH SHE NEEDS VERY

LITTLE INTRODUCTION, FIRST AND FOREMOST PLEASE JOIN ME IN

WELCOMING BACK TO NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER TODAY'S SPECIAL

GUEST OF HONOR, NASA LANGLEY RETIREE AND "HUMAN COMPUTER,"

KATHERINE G. JOHNSON. [ APPLAUSE ]

ALSO JOINING HER TODAY ARE HER HUSBAND, JAMES, AND DAUGHTERS,

JOYLETTE HYLICK AND KATHERINE MOORE.

WE ALSO HAVE SOME VERY SPECIAL GUESTS JOINING US TODAY, AND

IT'S MY HONOR TO INTRODUCE THEM. THE HONORABLE BOBBY SCOTT,

CONGRESSMAN FROM THE 3rd DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA.

[ APPLAUSE ] REPRESENTING CONGRESSMAN

SCOTT RIGELL, 2nd DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA, IS HIS DISTRICT

DIRECTOR SHANNON KENDRICK. [ APPLAUSE ]

THE HONORABLE MARCIA PRICE, DELEGATE TO THE VIRGINIA GENERAL

ASSEMBLY FROM THE 95th DISTRICT. [ APPLAUSE ]

THE HONORABLE GEORGE WALLACE, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HAMPTON,

[ APPLAUSE ] CITY COUNCILMAN, DONNIE TUCK.

[ APPLAUSE ] >> VALERIE PRICE, THE FIRST LADY

OF NEWPORT NEWS. [ APPLAUSE ]

>> AND OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER, MARGOT LEE SHETTERLY, AUTHOR OF

THE BOOK "HIDDEN FIGURES: THE STORY OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN

WOMEN WHO HELPED WIN THE SPACE RACE."

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE A COUPLE GUESTS IN OUR AUDIENCE.

NASA DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF JON HERCZEG AND NASA CHIEF

COUNSEL SUMARA THOMPSON-KING. [ APPLAUSE ]

SO THERE'S SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WHY WE PICKED TODAY

TO HOLD THIS SPECIAL EVENT. 55 YEARS AGO, ON

MAY 5th, 1961, ALAN SHEPARD BECAME THE FIRST AMERICAN TO

EVER FLY IN SPACE. HIS MERCURY CAPSULE, CALLED

FREEDOM 7, CARRIED HIM UP ABOUT 116 MILES, AND 15 MINUTES LATER

HE LANDED SAFELY 310 MILES DOWNRANGE FROM THE KENNEDY SPACE

CENTER IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. MILLIONS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE

WORLD WATCHED SHEPARD'S FLIGHT, BUT WHAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW AT THE

TIME WAS THAT THE CALCULATIONS THAT GOT HIM INTO SPACE AND

SAFELY HOME WERE DONE BY TODAY'S GUEST OF HONOR,

KATHERINE JOHNSON. [ APPLAUSE ]

I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT YOU MUST HAVE BEEN FEELING DURING THOSE

15 MINUTES. I WANTED TO ALSO POINT OUT

ANOTHER INTERESTING FACT ABOUT TODAY'S EVENT, WHICH IS BEING

HELD IN OUR REID CONFERENCE CENTER.

C DR. HENRY J.E. REID WAS THE CENTER DIRECTOR WHEN KATHERINE

WAS HIRED IN 1953. HE LED LANGLEY FROM 1926 TO

1960, FROM THE BIPLANE ERA TO THE DOWN OF THE SPACE AGE.

JUST DOWN THE HALL FROM US IS THE PEARL YOUNG THEATER, NAMED

FOR THE FIRST WOMAN HIRED TO DO RESEARCH HERE IN 1922.

ALL TOLD, THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES HERE AT

LANGLEY, YET ONLY FOUR OF THEM ARE ACTUALLY NAMED AFTER FORMER

EMPLOYEES. KATHERINE, TODAY YOU JOIN THAT

ELITE GROUP WITH THE OFFICIAL NAMING OF THE

KATHERINE G. JOHNSON COMPUTATIONAL RESEARCH FACILITY.

[ APPLAUSE ] THE COMPUTATIONAL RESEARCH

FACILITY IS A 40,000 SQUARE FOOT CONSOLIDATED DATA CENTER THAT

WILL ALLOW OUR ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS TO PERFORM ADVANCED

COMPUTATIONAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, CRUNCHING DATA AND

NUMBERS THAT WILL ONE DAY HELP NASA LAND HUMANS ON MARS, DESIGN

QUIETER, FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENT FUTURE AIRCRAFT, AND

HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND OUR CHANGING CLIMATE.

IT'S NOT UNLIKE THE WORK THAT KATHERINE DID DURING HER TENURE

AT LANGLEY, HELPING NASA SEND THE FIRST AMERICANS INTO SPACE,

INTO ORBIT AROUND THE EARTH, AND TO THE MOON AND BACK.

EXCEPT SHE DIDN'T HAVE A 40,000 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING FULL

OF CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY. SHE DID MOST OF HER CALCULATIONS

BY HAND, OR IN HER HEAD, AND WITH THE HELP OF THE TECHNOLOGY

OF HER DAY, MECHANICAL CALCULATOR-TYPE MACHINES CALLED

MONROE AND FRIDEN MACHINES. PERHAPS JUST AS AMAZING IS THAT

KATHERINE BEGAN HER WORK AT NASA WHEN WOMEN AND MINORITIES WERE

MARGINALIZED IN AMERICAN SOCIETY.

WHEN SHE STARTED WORK IN 1953 OUR CENTER WAS STILL

SEGREGATED, BUT IT WAS HER SKILLS, SPIRIT, CURIOSITY AND

DETERMINATION THAT HELPED NOT ONLY SOLVE THE DIFFICULT

PROBLEMS OF SPACE TRAVEL, BUT ALSO HELPED BREAK THE RACIAL AND

GENDER BARRIERS SHE AND HER COLLEAGUES FACED.

NOW IT IS MY HONOR TO INTRODUCE OUR FIRST GUEST SPEAKER, THE

ACTING DIRECTOR OF OUR OFFICE OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, MEL FEREBEE.

MEL IS WHO INITIALLY PROPOSED THE IDEA OF NAMING THE CRF AFTER

KATHERINE, AND THEN WORKED THE APPROVAL PROCESS WITH SENIOR

NASA OFFICIALS. PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING

MEL TO THE STAGE. [ APPLAUSE ]

>> THANK YOU, CLAYTON, AND GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE.

I FIRST HEARD OF DR. JOHNSON'S STORY 41 YEARS AGO HERE AS A

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. MANY OF US ASSEMBLED HERE TODAY

KNOW THE STORY, BUT IT'S WORTH HIGHLIGHTING AGAIN.

FROM AN EARLY AGE, KATHERINE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE

OPPORTUNITIES THAT CAME HER WAY -- HER PASSION FOR NUMBERS

AND MATHEMATICS LED HER TO SHARE HER KNOWLEDGE FIRST AS A TEACHER

AND THEN TO PURSUE A CAREER AT THE LANGLEY AERONAUTICAL

LABORATORY, WHICH BECAME NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER.

DURING A TIME WHEN WOMEN AND MINORITIES WERE MARGINALIZED IN

AMERICAN SOCIETY, SHE PERSEVERED.

SHE EXCELLED AT WHAT SHE DID. HER REPUTATION FOR EXCELLENCE

LED TO ASSIGNMENTS THAT WERE CRUCIAL TO AMERICA'S EARLY SPACE

PROGRAM. SHE CALCULATED THE LAUNCH WINDOW

AND TRAJECTORY OF THE FIRST AMERICAN IN SPACE, ALAN SHEPARD,

WHO MADE THAT HISTORIC FLIGHT 55 YEARS AGO.

ALSO, TODAY IS THE VERY FIRST NATIONAL ASTRONAUTS DAY.

HER REPUTATION FOR ACCURACY WAS SO WELL KNOWN THAT ASTRONAUT

JOHN GLENN, WHOSE ORBITAL TRAJECTORY WAS THE FIRST TO BE

CALCULATED BY AN ELECTRONIC COMPUTER, ASKED FOR HER TO CHECK

THOSE CALCULATIONS. IN FACT, SHE HELPED THE AGENCY

ESTABLISH CONFIDENCE IN THIS NEW ELECTRONIC COMPUTING.

DR. JOHNSON WAS ASSIGNED TO WORK ON THE APOLLO 11 MISSION, THE

FIRST MISSION WHICH HUMANS LANDED AND WALKED ON THE MOON.

AND WHEN OUR NATION IDENTIFIED THE NEED FOR A REUSABLE SPACE

VEHICLE, THE SPACE SHUTTLE -- LARGE ENOUGH TO CARRY THE

BUILDING BLOCKS OF WHAT HAS NOW BECOME THE WORLD'S ONLY IN-SPACE

LABORATORY, THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION -- SHE CALCULATED

THOSE ORBITAL TRAJECTORIES TOO. THROUGHOUT HER CAREER AND DURING

HER RETIREMENT, SHE TOOK THE TIME TO ENCOURAGE YOUNG PEOPLE,

ESPECIALLY GIRLS, TO PURSUE THEIR DREAMS IN SCIENCE,

TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH.

DR. JOHNSON, THANK YOU FOR SETTING AN EXAMPLE FROM WHICH WE

CAN ALL LEARN -- TO FOLLOW YOUR PASSION, EXCEL IN YOUR WORK, AND

ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO DO THE SAME. YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION TO ME,

AND TO ALL OF US, NOT ONLY HERE AT LANGLEY, BUT ACROSS NASA AND

OUR NATION. THANK YOU.

[ APPLAUSE ] >> THANK YOU, MEL.

AT THIS TIME, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE'D LIKE TO SHARE A

SHORT VIDEO ABOUT KATHERINE'S CAREER.

\M\M \M\M

\M\M \M\M

\M\M [ APPLAUSE ]

\M\M [ APPLAUSE ]

>> NASA LANGLEY HAS BEEN PROUD TO CALL HAMPTON HOME FOR ALMOST

100 YEARS AND WE OUR GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT THE CITY AND ITS

LEADERS HAVE SHOWN US. WE AT LANGLEY ARE HAPPY TO

WELCOME BACK HAMPTON MAYOR GEORGE WALLACE FOR SOME OPENING

REMARKS. [ APPLAUSE ]

>> GOOD AFTERNOON, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

IT IS ALTOGETHER FITTING AND PROPER THAT WE ARE HERE TODAY TO

HONOR A GREAT LADY WITH ANOTHER SYMBOL OF HER LONG AND

DISTINGUISHED CAREER. WE KNOW THAT SHE WAS A CHILD

PRODIGY WITH A PROLIFIC CAPACITY TO COUNT EVERYTHING FROM THE

NUMBERS OF STEPS FROM HER STEPS TO THE CHURCH TO THE NUMBER OF

DISHES ON THE SHELF TO COUNTING THE TRAJECTORY OF ASTRONAUT ALAN

GLENN'S 1961 AMERICAN FLIGHT TO SPACE.

SHE BECAME A SUMA CUM LAUDE GRADUATE AT THE AGE OF 18.

SHE WAS AMONG THE EARLY GROUP OF WOMEN HIRED BY NASA TO BECOME

KNOWN AS ONE OF THE GROUP OF COMPUTERS IN SKIRTS.

HER EXCELLENCE WAS KNOWN AND NOTED EARLY, AND SHE WAS ASKED

BY -- AS HAS BEEN INDICATED BY ASTRONAUT JOHN GLENN TO DOUBLE

CHECK THAT HE MADE THE CORRECT COMPUTER CALCULATION TO MAKE

SURE THAT THE NUMBERS WERE CORRECT.

SHE'S A WIFE OTHER MOTHER, AND A GOOD FRIEND TO MANY.

ON NOVEMBER 4th, 2015, SHE WAS GIVEN THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF

FREEDOM BY PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, AS YOU WILL SEE.

MOST RECENTLY, HAMPTON ACKNOWLEDGES THE GREAT

HAMPTONIAN IN OUR MIDST BY CONVEYING UPON HER THE HIGHEST

HONOR THAT WE CAN GIVE, THE DISTINGUISHED CITIZENS MEDAL FOR

EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE TO HAMPTON AND AMERICA.

TO YOU, MRS. JOHNSON, THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR ALL

OF US, AND MAY THE RICH REWARDS AND GOOD BLESSINGS CONTINUE TO

BE YOURS. THANK YOU.

[ APPLAUSE ] >> THANK YOU, MAYOR WALLACE.

IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW IT, 20th CENTURY FOX IS CURRENTLY

SHOOTING A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE, "HIDDEN FIGURES," WHICH IS

SCHEDULED FOR RELEASE LATER THIS YEAR.

THE FILM IS BASED UPON THE BOOK WRITTEN BY TODAY'S KEYNOTE

SPEAKER, MS. MARGOT SHETTERLY. I'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU A

VIDEO MESSAGE FROM SOME OF THE CAST FROM THE MOVIE.

>> HELLO, HELLO, HELLO. I JUST WANTED TO PERSONALLY

CONGRATULATE A HERO OF MINE, MISS KATHERINE JOHNSON.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR OPENING UP SO MANY DOORS FOR YOUNG

AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN LIKE MYSELF, AND SO MANY OTHERS, WHO

USE THEIR INTELLIGENCE AS THEIR POWER TO PERSEVERE THROUGH ALL

OBSTACLES THAT MAY BE THROWN THEIR WAY.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND I'M SO HONORED TO EVEN TELL YOU THANK

YOU. GOD BLESS YOU, MISS KATHERINE,

YOU ARE A TRUE ICON. YOU ARE A LEADER AND THE WORLD

WILL BE FOREVER BETTER BECAUSE OF YOU.

GOD BLESS. >> MRS. KATHERINE JOHNSON, I AM

HAPPY THAT YOU ARE BEING, FINALLY BEING, ACKNOWLEDGED FOR

YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO HISTORY, TO THE WORLD, TO THE SPACE

PROGRAM, TO WOMEN OF COLOR, TO OUR HISTORY AND MAY YOUR NAME

LONG LIVE ON THAT BUILDING AT LANGLEY.

I APPRECIATE YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS.

>> I'M TARAJI P. HENSON AND I WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU, MISS

KATHERINE GOBLE JOHNSON, MISS QUEEN JOHNSON, THE BRILLIANT

MIND, MISS JOHNSON FOR THE NAMING OF THE BUILDING,

RIGHTFULLY DESERVED. YOU DESERVE IT.

THEY SHOULD NAME NASA AFTER YOU. I SEE YOU --

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. [ LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE ]

>> GREAT MESSAGE FROM 20th CENTURY FOX.

WE'LL HAVE TO WORK ON THAT LAST PART.

SO CHARLIE BOLDEN DID WANT TO BE HERE TODAY, BUT A SCHEDULING

CONFLICT HAS KEPT HIM AWAY. I HAVE A NOTE THAT I WANT TO

READ SO HE'S THE PERSON WHO CAN MAYBE START TO GET THAT DONE.

DEAR MS. JOHNSON, I'M WRITING TO OFFER MY PROFOUND

CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU ON BEING CHOSEN TO BE THE NAMESAKE FOR

LANGLEY'S NEWEST BUILDING. ALONG WITH MY GRATITUDE FOR THE

TRAIL YOU HAVE BLAZED FOR NASA, THE MATHEMATICIANS, FOR SWIM,

FOR SPACE SCIENTISTS, FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS, AND FOR

DREAMERS EVERYWHERE. I AM TOLD YOU ONCE REMARKED THAT

EVEN THOUGH YOU GREW UP IN THE HEIGHT OF SEGREGATION, YOU DID

NOT HAVE TIME TO THINK ABOUT YOUR PLACE IN HISTORY AND THAT

YOU NEVER HAD A FEELING OF INFERIORITY.

INSTEAD, YOU CONSIDERED YOURSELF AS YOU DESCRIBED IT, AS GOOD AS

ANYBODY ELSE BUT NO BETTER. THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT

YOU ARE BETTER. ARE YOU ONE OF THE GREATEST

MINDS EVER TO GRACE OUR AGENCY, OUR COUNTRY, AND BECAUSE OF YOUR

MIND, HEART, AND SOUL, MY OWN GRANDDAUGHTERS AND YOUNG

AMERICANS LIKE THEM CAN PURSUE THEIR OWN DREAMS WITHOUT A

FEELING OF INFERIORITY. THEREFORE, I HOPE TODAY THAT ALL

OF US WILL TAKE A STEP BACK AND REFLECT ON YOUR IMPACT.

YOU HAVE ALREADY FOREVER LEFT YOUR MARK ON THE LANGLEY

RESEARCH CENTER AND ON NASA. NOW THIS MARK WILL BE FORMALLY

INSCRIBED ON LANGLEY'S CAMPUS IN THE FORM OF THE KATHERINE G.

JOHNSON COMPUTATIONAL RESEARCH FACILITY.

WITH GREAT AWE AND APPRECIATION, CHARLIE F. BOLDEN,