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Ira Vivion West
Quick Info
Glen Allen, Virginia, USA
Alexandria, Virginia, USA
Biography
Ira West was the son of Alexander Leroy West (1906-1951) and Blanche Estelle Melton (1909-1993). Alexander Leroy West, known as Leroy West, was born on 7 December 1906 in Charles City, Virginia. In 1940 he completed a World War II Draft Card which gives his address as 1104 St Pater, Richmond, Virginia and he was a janitor working for a telephone company in Richmond, Virginia. He married Blanche Estelle Melton on 21 December 1927 in Henrico, Virginia. She had been born on 2 December 1906 in Henrico. Leroy and Blanche West had two children, Roy Alexander West (born 15 January 1930) and Ira Vivion West (born 8 May 1931), the subject of this biography. Let us quote from [2] regarding the parents and upbringing of the two boys. Roy and Ira:-... were raised in Richmond's under-class Washington Park neighbourhood. West's father Leroy Alexander was a janitor who, with the exception of witnessing his sons be married in 1950 and 1957, was not present in his children's lives. West was always reluctant to recount his upbringing; chances are that was because of his father. There is reason to suspect that Leroy may have been physically and or emotionally abusive to his family. However, the documentary record is not definitive on this matter. What is known is that West's mother, Blanche Estelle Melton, was so eager to leave her husband that she deserted him for 16 years, and upon being divorced, she refused to accept alimony and child support. Melton instead transitioned from housewife to domestic labourer and worked multiple unskilled jobs to support her sons.Before giving Ira West's biography, let us give some details of his older brother Roy West (1930-2019). After graduating from High School, Roy married Helen Louise Hubbard on 21 November 1950. He worked as a postal clerk to finance his university studies at Virginia Union University receiving his bachelor's degree in 1956. He taught at Armstrong High School from 1959 to 1969, and was awarded a Master's Degree from New York University in 1963. He taught at Virginia Union University while studying for his doctorate in education which he was awarded by George Washington University in 1976. In that year he became the principal of John Marshall High School in Richmond. From 1982 to 1989 he was mayor of Richmond. He tried to improve the quality of education for people of colour in Richmond which landed him in court in 1987 and out of a job in 1991.
Ira West grew up at a time when life in America was strictly divided according to colour. He was brought up in a home in Washington Park which was typical for African-Americans at that time with no running water and no electricity. West's mother was extremely supportive of her sons' education and both Ira and Roy were given every encouragement to develop their talents. Ira West attended a school for coloured pupils in Richmond, graduating in 1950.
At the time of the 1950 U.S. Census Blanche West was the head of the family living in Richmond with her two sons. Roy was working as a barber to fund his studies at Virginia Union University and Ira was about to begin his studies of mathematics at Virginia Union University. This university had been founded as Richmond Theological Institute in 1865 by the American Baptist Home Mission Society but had soon developed into a historically black university. Ira West studied at Virginia Union University but also was a member of the U.S. Army during the Korean War [3]:-
... where he demonstrated his unwavering commitment to service.West was awarded his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Virginia Union University. In 1955 West was hired to work at the Dahlgren Naval Proving Ground becoming only the second African-American to work there.
The Dahlgren Naval Proving Ground was established in 1918 to test guns. It was named after John Adolphus Dahlgren, a Civil War Navy commander who is thought by many today as the father of modern naval ordnance. During the 1920s and 1930s it operated almost entirely to test guns for the navy. During World War II early computing machines began to be built and these machines were sent to Dahlgren to assist in ballistic calculations. Many young mathematicians, scientists and engineers worked at Dahlgren during World War II developing the primitive computing facilities. Dahlgren also employed a large group of women who performed complex manual calculations for ballistics, trajectories, and firing tables. Grace Hopper, although based at Harvard, worked on computers that were sent to Dahlgren. Similarly the computer pioneer Howard Aiken worked closely with the Navy and had links to Dahlgren.
Although the staff at Dahlgren was cut back following the end of World War II, the Korean War and the Cold War led to the work force being built up again in the 1950s. More diverse work was asked of Dahlgren because of their expertise with computers. An executive order issued by President Eisenhower in 1955 banning discrimination in Federal hiring practices led to the first African-Americans being recruited. Ira West was one of the first in 1955 and Gladys Brown, whom he later married, was appointed in 1956. Gladys Brown [6]:-
... still remembers her first day. The military base was grey, and people were mingling before starting work, laughing and drinking coffee. She met the man who would become her husband, Ira West - but refused to be distracted and at first largely ignored him. "I just got there and I was a serious woman. I didn't have time to be playing around," she says. Her white colleagues were friendly and respectful, but initially didn't socialise with her outside the office - something she tried not to let get to her.Although Gladys tried to ignore Ira West when she first arrived, Ira was instantly attracted to her [1]:-
"I met her at a lunch break," Ira West said in 2020, recalling what his future wife was wearing: a pleated blue skirt and a white blouse. "When I first saw her, I knew there was something for me," he said. "But she didn't know there was something for her in looking at me."Ira and Gladys soon became close friends and they were married on 15 June 1957 in the Baptist Church in Dinwiddie, Virginia. Gladys West's address is given on the marriage certificate as 4007 Piney Road, Richmond, Virginia while Ira West's is given as Petersburg, Virginia. After Gladys suffered two stillbirths, Ira and Gladys West adopted three children, Carolyn West (born 16 April 1961), David West and Michael West. Carolyn West majored in Economics and has a Masters Degree and a PhD in Leadership and Human Resources.
In the late 1950s, there were major changes at Dahlgren. It was the Soviet Union's launching of Sputnik I in 1958 that caused the United States to realise it had to compete and a space race began. Because of the computer hardware and expertise at Dahlgren the Naval Space Surveillance Center was set up there. Also around the same time Dahlgren became highly involved in the development of Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles. Ira West [3]:-
... contributed to the Navy's first strategic weapon system and played a pivotal role in the Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile Program, overseeing the development of critical software systems in exterior ballistics, geoballistics, and anti-submarine warfare.West spent the majority of his time working on the Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile Program which was being developed as the main part of the United States' nuclear deterrence strategy. His work involved the development and maintenance of fire control and mission planning software for systems like the Polaris and Trident missiles. He contributed to the development of underwater warfare systems designed to detect and counter enemy submarines. He also worked on analysing the hazards of electromagnetic radiation on ordnance. This was the HERO program (HERO is Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Ordnance). West analysed how radio frequency energy from shipboard radars could accidentally trigger or prematurely detonate weapons. This safety work became a major focus at Dahlgren after a 1967 disaster on the USS Forrestal. This supercarrier, commissioned in 1955, was the first designed to have jet aircraft. In June 1967, when near Vietnam, a rocket misfired with serious consequences: 134 were killed, 21 aircraft were destroyed, etc. West was involved in the safety work carried out at Dahlgren attempting to ensure that such accidents would not happen in future.
While working at Dahlgren, Ira West headed the Ballistic Sciences Branch of the Programming Division in the Computation and Analysis Laboratory at the Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren. During these years he obtained his Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma. He retired from Dahlgren in 1997, one year before his wife Gladys West. Immediately after Gladys retired, the couple celebrated by taking a holiday in Australia and New Zealand.
Ira West also made many contributions as a community leader. In 1975 he joined the Dahlgren Lions Club. This club, founded in 1959, is a part of the International Association of Lions Clubs. The club serves the local community of King George, Virginia through service projects and fundraising. An example of his work for the clubs is described in [7]. The club provided vision screening for children at the Naval Support Facility with Ira West being one of three Dahlgren Lions Club members who were [7]:-
... able to screen for visual disturbances in the children's eye sight such as myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, anisometropia, strabismus and anisocoria. The ability to check the children as young as six months old means a brighter and safer future for the little ones and early intervention to correct any problems noted.The obituary [3] says that as a member pf the Dahlgren Lions Club, Ira West served:-
... King George County with passion and commitment, ultimately rising to the position of President.West was also on RADCO (now GWRC) for 6 years. The Rappahannock Area Development Commission (RADCO) was formed in 1968. It was one of 21 Planning District Commissions, established to facilitate local government cooperation in addressing regional problems and issues in Virginia [3]:-
Ira also dedicated eleven years to the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board, representing King George County with integrity and grace.Ira West and his wife both served with The Gideons [5]:-
Gladys and Ira became good friends with members of The Gideons. Over the years, those friends would continue to invite the couple to join in the mission of winning people to Jesus Christ. Seeing the eternal value and benefit of such a ministry, Ira and Gladys joined the Association in 2001. ... For the past 17 years, Gladys and Ira have served together with Gideons and Auxiliary in Dahlgren, Virginia, reaching people for Christ. Today, they enjoy sending out cards to local pastors letting them know they are being uplifted in prayer. They join other local camps in the area for a large Scripture distribution at the Virginia State Fair ...Ira West was a little known figure until his wife Gladys West became famous, twenty years after she retired, for her outstanding work on developing the GPS system. Ira then became known for the support he had given his wife during their long marriage. Gladys West wrote in her autobiography [8]:-
He has been the most supportive husband a woman could ask for.Although he deserves much praise for this support, he also deserves to be known as a mathematician who made exceptional contributions to several important projects at the Dahlgren Naval Support Facility and as someone who made exceptional contributions to his local community.
Following his death in 2024 at the age of 93, a Celebration of Life Service was held on Saturday, 2 November 2024, at Rocky Branch Baptist Church, Sutherland, Virginia. He was buried at Dinwiddie Memorial Park.
Written by J J O'Connor and E F Robertson
Last Update March 2026
Last Update March 2026