Mary Golda Ross was the first Indigenous woman in the U.S. known to have become an engineer. Her impact on the field of aerospace engineering is hard to quantify, because much of her work is still classified.

Research:
Agnew, Brad. “Cherokee engineer a space exploration pioneer.” Tahlequah Daily Press. 3/27/2016. https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/golda-ross-left-teaching-to-support-war-effort/article_c500cbc4-eeba-11e5-9b57-2b127651fcb5.html
Agnew, Brad. “Golda’ Ross left teaching to support war effort.” Tahlequah Daily Press. 3/20/2016. https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/golda-ross-left-teaching-to-support-war-effort/article_c500cbc4-eeba-11e5-9b57-2b127651fcb5.html
Brewer, Graham Lee. “Rocket Woman.” Oklahoma Today. July/August 2018.
Cochran, Wendell. “Cherokee Tear Dress Facts.” The People’s Paths. https://www.thepeoplespaths.net/Cherokee/WendellCochran/WCochran0102TearDressFacts.htm
Hogner-Weavel, Tonia. “History of the Cherokee Tear Dress.” Cherokee Nation. Via YouTube. 9/15/2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90V5fM0DiMk
Lake, Timothy. "Mary Golda Ross". Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Golda-Ross. Accessed 21 October 2025.
Margolis, Emily. A. “Mary Golda Ross: Aerospace Engineer, Educator, and Advocate.” Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/mary-g-ross-aerospace-engineer
Museum of Native American History. “Historic Trailblazer: Mary Golda Ross.” Via YouTube. 12/17/2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzC14hGbPug
National Park Service. “Mary G. Ross.” https://www.nps.gov/people/mary-g-ross.htm
New Mexico Museum of Space History. “Mary Golda Ross: First Native American Aerospace Engineer.” Via YouTube. 3/31/2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT9r5trwZEs
Oklahoma Hall of Fame. “Mary Golda Ross Induction Ceremony Video.” 11/22/2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bovabx6ITW4
Rosengren, Paul Lief. “Mary Golda Ross: She Reached for the Stars.” IEEE-USA and Paul Lief Rosengren. 2025.
Schroeder, Mildred. “A Far-out Cherokee Chick.” San Francisco Examiner. 4/16/1961.
Smith, Betty. “Pure Cherokee Gold.” Tahlequah Daily Press. 6/26/2008. https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/archives/pure-cherokee-gold/article_44c0a25a-94e2-53d8-b80c-be1ff86305e7.html
Viola, Herman. “Mary Golda Ross: She Reached for the Stars.” American Indian: Magazine of Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. Vol. 19, No. 4. Winter 2018. https://www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/mary-golda-ross-she-reached-stars
Wallace, Rob. “Mary Golda Ross and the Skunk Works.” National World War II Museum. 11/19/2021. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/mary-golda-ross-and-skunk-works
Watts, Jennifer. “John Ross: Principal Chief of the Cherokee People.” Tennessee State Museum. https://tnmuseum.org/junior-curators/posts/john-ross-principal-chief-of-the-cherokee-people
Yang, John. “The cutting-edge work of Native American aerospace engineer Mary Golda Ross.” 11/26/2023. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-cutting-edge-work-of-native-american-aerospace-engineer-mary-golda-ross
Zhorov, Irina. “Years Later, Miss Indian America Pageant Winners Reuniteg.” NPR Code Switch. 7/12/2013. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/07/12/201537264/Years-Later-Miss-Indian-America-Pageant-Winners-Reunite

 

Mary Golda Ross was the first Indigenous woman in the U.S. known to have become an engineer. Her impact on the field of aerospace engineering is hard to quantify, because much of her work is still classified.
Research:
<ul>
<li>Agnew, Brad. &ldquo;Cherokee engineer a space exploration pioneer.&rdquo; Tahlequah Daily Press. 3/27/2016. https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/golda-ross-left-teaching-to-support-war-effort/article_c500cbc4-eeba-11e5-9b57-2b127651fcb5.html</li>
<li>Agnew, Brad. &ldquo;Golda&rsquo; Ross left teaching to support war effort.&rdquo; Tahlequah Daily Press. 3/20/2016. https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/golda-ross-left-teaching-to-support-war-effort/article_c500cbc4-eeba-11e5-9b57-2b127651fcb5.html</li>
<li>Brewer, Graham Lee. &ldquo;Rocket Woman.&rdquo; Oklahoma Today. July/August 2018.</li>
<li>Cochran, Wendell. &ldquo;Cherokee Tear Dress Facts.&rdquo; The People&rsquo;s Paths. https://www.thepeoplespaths.net/Cherokee/WendellCochran/WCochran0102TearDressFacts.htm</li>
<li>Hogner-Weavel, Tonia. &ldquo;History of the Cherokee Tear Dress.&rdquo; Cherokee Nation. Via YouTube. 9/15/2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90V5fM0DiMk</li>
<li>Lake, Timothy. "Mary Golda Ross". Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Golda-Ross. Accessed 21 October 2025.</li>
<li>Margolis, Emily. A. &ldquo;Mary Golda Ross: Aerospace Engineer, Educator, and Advocate.&rdquo; Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/mary-g-ross-aerospace-engineer</li>
<li>Museum of Native American History. &ldquo;Historic Trailblazer: Mary Golda Ross.&rdquo; Via YouTube. 12/17/2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzC14hGbPug</li>
<li>National Park Service. &ldquo;Mary G. Ross.&rdquo; https://www.nps.gov/people/mary-g-ross.htm</li>
<li>New Mexico Museum of Space History. &ldquo;Mary Golda Ross: First Native American Aerospace Engineer.&rdquo; Via YouTube. 3/31/2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT9r5trwZEs</li>
<li>Oklahoma Hall of Fame. &ldquo;Mary Golda Ross Induction Ceremony Video.&rdquo; 11/22/2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bovabx6ITW4</li>
<li>Rosengren, Paul Lief. &ldquo;Mary Golda Ross: She Reached for the Stars.&rdquo; IEEE-USA and Paul Lief Rosengren. 2025.</li>
<li>Schroeder, Mildred. &ldquo;A Far-out Cherokee Chick.&rdquo; San Francisco Examiner. 4/16/1961.</li>
<li>Smith, Betty. &ldquo;Pure Cherokee Gold.&rdquo; Tahlequah Daily Press. 6/26/2008. https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/archives/pure-cherokee-gold/article_44c0a25a-94e2-53d8-b80c-be1ff86305e7.html</li>
<li>Viola, Herman. &ldquo;Mary Golda Ross: She Reached for the Stars.&rdquo; American Indian: Magazine of Smithsonian&rsquo;s National Museum of the American Indian. Vol. 19, No. 4. Winter 2018. https://www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/mary-golda-ross-she-reached-stars</li>
<li>Wallace, Rob. &ldquo;Mary Golda Ross and the Skunk Works.&rdquo; National World War II Museum. 11/19/2021. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/mary-golda-ross-and-skunk-works</li>
<li>Watts, Jennifer. &ldquo;John Ross: Principal Chief of the Cherokee People.&rdquo; Tennessee State Museum. https://tnmuseum.org/junior-curators/posts/john-ross-principal-chief-of-the-cherokee-people</li>
<li>Yang, John. &ldquo;The cutting-edge work of Native American aerospace engineer Mary Golda Ross.&rdquo; 11/26/2023. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-cutting-edge-work-of-native-american-aerospace-engineer-mary-golda-ross</li>
<li>Zhorov, Irina. &ldquo;Years Later, Miss Indian America Pageant Winners Reuniteg.&rdquo; NPR Code Switch. 7/12/2013. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/07/12/201537264/Years-Later-Miss-Indian-America-Pageant-Winners-Reunite</li>
</ul>
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Mary Golda Ross was the first Indigenous woman in the U.S. known to have become an engineer. Her impact on the field of aerospace engineering is hard to quantify, because much of her work is still classified.

Mary Golda Ross

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