RICHMOND, Va. — Retired NASA mathematician and aeronautical engineer Dr. Christine Darden and “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race” author Margot Lee Shetterly will serve as grand marshals of the 2017 Dominion Energy Christmas Parade.
“We are proud to have these two remarkable and accomplished women serving as grand marshals at the Dominion Energy Christmas Parade,” Parade Director Beth Karrer said. “We couldn’t be more excited to celebrate the achievements they’ve made here and around the world — literally!”
The 34th Annual Christmas Parade is scheduled for Saturday, December 2.
It will begin at 10 a.m. in front of the Science Museum of Virginia. The parade will be broadcast on CBS 6.
“We are so pleased to continue our sponsorship of this parade, which has become a cherished holiday tradition for local families,” Hunter A. Applewhite, president of the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, said.
“This year’s parade theme is ‘Christmas Around the World’in honor of NASA Langley Research Center’s 100th anniversary and the remarkable aerospace advancements and technological breakthroughs featured in ‘Hidden Figures,'” a parade spokesperson said. “‘Hidden Figures'” is a #1 New York Times bestseller and award-winning movie about three African-American female NASA mathematicians essential to the success of early spaceflight.”
About Dr. Christine Darden
Dr. Christine Darden joined NASA in the late 1960s as a data analyst at Langley Research Center in Virginia, working as part of a pool of “human computers” who wrote complex programs and crunched numbers for engineers. NASA awarded Dr. Darden the Certificate of Outstanding Performance 10 times between 1973 and 2003. Dr. Darden is a graduate of Hampton Institute, Virginia State University, and George Washington University.
About Margot Lee Shetterly
Margot Lee Shetterly is a writer, researcher, entrepreneur, and the author of “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race.” It has been published in 16 international editions, including an English-language UK edition and 15 other languages. Ms. Shetterly is a native of Hampton, Virginia, where she knew many of the women behind the history in “Hidden Figures.” She currently lives in Charlottesville and is a graduate of the University of Virginia.
