IT BEGAN WITH A DREAM, is the story of Dr. Gladys B. West, who played an integral role in the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS) as a mathematician with Navy. Born in 1930, in the poor farming community of Sutherland, Virginia, she rose from poverty despite segregation, The Great Depression, and Jim Crow laws, to become one of the first professional black women hired at the Dahlgren (Va.) Naval Proving Grounds (now Dahlgren Surface Naval Warfare Center). Dr. West, an HBCU graduate from Virginia State University, and PH.D scholar from Virginia Tech, takes us on her incredible life journey in this heartwarming and unforgettable memoir.
 
Though previously not recognized for her groundbreaking work in STEM, her contribution to GPS impacts almost everyone throughout the world. Recently, she was the first black female inducted into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame, and continues to be an example for others to follow. A wife of 63 years, and mother of three, she is clearly a legend, an inspiration, and a true American "shero." Find out the keys to her success in this awe-inspiring memoir.