Born: circa 1939, United States (assumed)
Died: 2013
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following is republished from the National Security Agency. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
Vera Shoffner Russell graduated from West Virginia State College as a math and physics major in 1951. She took the government employment math test and was offered a position. She reported to the Agency in 1951 and was assigned as a programmer on the early computers, ABNER 2, ATLAS 1, and ATLAS 2. Like the vast majority of African-Americans hired before 1954, she started at a lower grade than similarly qualified whites. In fact, she believes the personnel office thought she was white and originally offered her a GS-5. When she arrived, they asked if she’d accept a GS-4 instead, which she did.