The Greenbrier Historical Society recently distributed an important children’s book to every third-grade teacher in the four counties of the Greenbrier Valley. The book, A Computer Called Katherine, is about White Sulphur Springs native Katherine Johnson, one of our country’s most notable mathematicians. Her brilliance and determination in the face of gender and race discrimination propelled her into a career at NASA where her skills helped put an astronaut on the moon.
Included with the book are two activity sheets geared to 3rd grade students. The idea is for students to have fun with math through counting games and learning to recognize shapes.
The books are a gift in memory of Lanty McNeel and through the generosity of John Kight, and were donated specifically to honor Beverly White, Lewisburg’s first Black Mayor. A Computer Called Katherine is written by Suzanne Slade and illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison. It gives young students an appreciation of Katherine Johnson’s contribution to America’s space program and American Black History.
