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SALT LAKE CITY — The daughter of Mary W. Jackson, NASA's first black woman engineer, told students at the Salt Lake elementary school named for her pioneering mother to "dream big."
Carolyn Jackson Lewis and other family members traveled to Utah from Virginia for a pair of celebrations on Thursday to cap off a lengthy public process to rename the school after the space agency engineer. The school was originally named after Andrew Jackson, the nation's seventh president.
In February, the Salt Lake City Board of Education voted unanimously to rename the school in honor of Mary W. Jackson, which Lewis said was a great tribute to a woman who was not one to seek the limelight but prized education, family and children.
"We are so excited and so happy to have this school named after my mother. Mary Jackson is my mother," Lewis told students during an assembly.
"We came to see you because we wanted to see who these bright young children were and how happy ya'll have made us. We just love children and that's what mother did as well."
Lewis said her family did not consider her mother as someone famous. Many Americans were unaware of Mary W. Jackson's experiences and those of other black woman mathematicians who worked at NASA during the space race until the book "Hidden Figures" was published, followed by the release of a motion picture of the same name.
"That was just her life. She worked and that's what she loved. She taught and that's what she loved and she loved her children," Lewis said. "So we just want to say thank you for inviting us and thank you for letting us be a part of your lives because this school will have her name on it for some time."
Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski said the story of Mary W. Jackson, who overcame racism and sexism, was "left untold for far too long."
Thanks to the book and motion picture that chronicled the contributions of Jackson and other black female mathematicians who worked for NASA, "they are no longer hidden figures," Biskupski said.
The mayor urged students to proudly tell everyone "you go to Mary W. Jackson Elementary School" and follow her example.
"Work hard to overcome the obstacles and barriers to your own success," she said.
Salt Lake City School District Superintendent Lexi Cunningham urged the students to do their very best to live up the school's namesake.
"Just remember, just like Mary W. Jackson, you can do anything you set your mind to," she said.
Jackson earned bachelor's degrees in physical science and in mathematics. Jackson started at National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1951 as a “human computer," working in the segregated West Computing Room. She fought the segregated educational system in Hampton, Virginia, and was allowed to attend college courses at night at an all-white school.
She earned an engineering degree and was promoted to an engineer at the new space agency NASA. In this position, she developed techniques that ensured accurate tests of aircraft and spacecraft in high-speed wind tunnels. This enabled NASA to design supersonic aircraft and rockets for space launch.
From 1978 to 1985, Jackson held a position at NASA in which she helped other women start and advance in STEM careers. She was also a lifelong volunteer in the Girl Scouts of America and several other community organizations.
Jordan Roman, a sixth-grader, said Thursday was an especially exciting day because of the celebration and because he was one of six students selected to work on a documentary on the naming of the school as part of the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus.
The nonprofit organization supports a state-of-the-art mobile production facility that provides hands-on experiences for students of all ages. The Salt Lake elementary school is one of three Utah schools on its current tour.
Roman said naming the school after Jackson "was really nice. It makes me feel proud we got the first female black engineer woman as our school name. To me, it's just inspiring for people with names like ours to see if they can change it, to see if they want something better for their school."
Marisol Serrano, another sixth-grader chosen to take part in the Lennon Bus project, said naming the school after a black woman engineer was a "very happy" occasion.
"We have a female now and a black female role model mathematician. I really like that we now officially have a female," she said.
