In 2016, the major motion picture Hidden Figures, starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe, introduced many people to the true—albeit slightly fictionalized for cinema—stories of three black women who played an important role in America’s space program. Margot Lee Shetterly’s nonfiction book Hidden Figures:
To award Congressional Gold Medals to Katherine Johnson and Dr. Christine Darden, to posthumously award Congressional Gold Medals to Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, and to award a Congressional Gold Medal to honor all of the women who contributed to the success of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration during the Space Race.
I was thrilled to have had an opportunity to submit designs for a few of those medals, which are produced by the United States Mint. One of my designs was selected for the reverse side of the medal honoring Dorothy Vaughan.
The Dorothy Vaughan Congressional Gold Medal, reverse, designed by Emily S. Damstra and engraved by John McGraw
The design shows Ms. Vaughan standing in front of two magnetic tape units— components of a mainframe computer—instructing two women, who are seated and taking notes. Although I don’t know if she ever actually stood up in front of a mainframe instructing others, I felt that showing her as an instructor w/ people literally looking up to her was a good way to symbolize her inspirational leadership qualities. She was someone whose colleagues looked up to her in the metaphorical sense. Below, three inscriptions highlight important aspects of Dorothy’s career: Fortran expert; Scout Launch Program; and Supervisor, West Area Computers.
In the background of the design, a sun symbolizes enlightenment, and also suggests that Ms. Vaughan was beacon for others, leading the way for African American women—and indeed, all women—at NACA and NASA. Inscribed in the center of the sun are Dorothy’s compelling words: “I changed what I could, and what I couldn’t I endured.”
The Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony
The artists who designed the medals were invited to attend the Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony at the United States Capitol on September 18, 2024. Although 3 of the 4 women being honored are deceased and one (Dr. Darden) wasn’t able to attend, their family members were there to receive the medals. I attended the ceremony and was so pleased to have met Dorothy Vaughan’s daughter Ann Hamilton, pictured here along with artist Rick Masters who designed the obverse of the medal honoring Ms. Vaughan. Ms. Hamilton shared that her mother was modest to the point of avoiding having her photo taken, which explains why there were very few photo resources available to the artists who worked on designs for her medal.
Dorothy Vaughan’s daughter Ann Hamilton (left) poses with medal designers Emily S. Damstra and Richard A. Masters
There were large prints of each side of each medal on display on either side of the podium.
Emancipation Hall at the United States Capitol, set up for the Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony
Images of the reverse and obverse of the Dorothy Vaughan Congressional Gold Medal, with its designers Emily S. Damstra and Richard A. Masters
Audience at the Dorothy Vaughan Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony on September 18, 2024; photo by Rick Masters
The actual gold medals were there too, but they were closely guarded and I wasn’t able to get close enough to look at or photograph them.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Shetterly’s book as part of my research for the medal design, so I was especially pleased to hear Shetterly speak during the Ceremony. The other speakers were NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Representative Frank D. Lucas, Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Senator Christopher A. Coons, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Democratic Leader of the House Hakeem Jeffries, and Andrea Mosie, a longtime NASA employee who oversees the Apollo moon samples and who accepted a gold medal “in recognition of all the women who served as computers, mathematicians, and engineers at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and NASA between the 1930s and the 1970s.”
Author Margot Lee Shetterly speaks at the Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony
Bronze replicas of the gold medals are available for sale at the United States Mint’s website.
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Congratulations, Emily! What an honor!
Thank you!
Emily,
What a thrill and honor to have attended the Gold Medal Ceremony recognizing the women of the West Area Computers! Congratulations on your design for the Dorothy Vaughan medal. Great image of her combined with her poignant comment.
John
Thanks John!