Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race

by Margot Lee Shetterly

Marge’s upward move resulted in opportunity down the line: Blanche Sponsler stepped into Marge’s position as head of the group. Just two years younger than Dorothy, Blanche was a thirty-five-year-old newlywed in 1947. Originally from Pennsylvania, she bowled in Langley’s Duckpin bowling league and was a faithful member of the Bridge Club. She and her sister, the wife of a soldier stationed at Fort Monroe, entered the laboratory’s Duplicate Bridge tournament in 1947 and took second place. Also interested in a move west, Blanche requested a transfer to the Ames Laboratory. Her Langley supervisors wrote letters of recommendation—since coming to the lab in 1940, she had received strong reviews and steady promotions—but at the time there were no open positions, so she continued as head of the West Computing group.