NASA mathematician featured in movie ‘Hidden Figures’ has Tri-City connection

The new movie Hidden Figures tells the true story of three black women who played key roles in the U.S. space program in the 1960s.

And one of those “hidden figures” — mathematician Katherine Johnson — has some particularly big fans in the Tri-Cities.

Her niece and nephew, siblings Pat Wright and Arthur Broady, live here. They’re looking forward to watching their aunt’s story unfold on the big screen.

“I’m just so happy for her. I’m excited about seeing the movie,” said Wright, who lives in Pasco.

Broady, of Kennewick, recently read the book on which the movie is based.

“It pulls at you emotionally when you’re reading about people you know very well, places you’re familiar with,” he said. “It’s interesting to have it be that personal.”

Hidden Figures opens across the country this weekend. It’s playing at all four Tri-City theaters.

The film centers on Johnson, a math prodigy who graduated high school at 14 and college at 18.

Her work at NASA spanned decades. In the space program’s early days, “she calculated the trajectory for Alan Shepard, the first American in space,” according to an article from the agency.

“Even after NASA began using electronic computers, John Glenn requested that she personally recheck the calculations made by the new electronic computers before his flight aboard Friendship 7 — the mission on which he became the first American to orbit the Earth,” the article said.

Taraji P. Henson plays Johnson in the film, which also stars Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe as fellow NASA workers Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson.

The women faced discrimination as they did their jobs — forced, for example, to use a separate bathroom.

Wright said she’s heard from family members that Johnson is happy with how the movie turned out. It’s earned strong reviews, with Rolling Stone saying, “Lots of movies are labeled as ‘inspirational’ — Hidden Figures truly earns the right to the term.”

Wright and Broady have known Johnson their whole lives. Their mother, Anne, was the sister of Johnson’s first husband, James Goble, who died in 1956 of brain cancer.

They’ve stayed close with Johnson, who went onto remarry and is now 98 years old.

They’re proud of her extraordinary accomplishments, which include being awarded the Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor — by President Obama in 2015.

But at the same time, “she’s just, for me — she’s Aunt Katherine,” Wright said.

Broady said Johnson always tells him how much he reminds her of her first husband.

“My oldest memory of Aunt Katherine — she’d always say, ‘You’re just like Jimmy. You look and act just like Jimmy,’” he said. Even at a family wedding about eight years ago, she marveled at the resemblance.

Wright remembers a visit Johnson made to the Tri-Cities a few years back. She was taken with sagebrush and packed up some to take home to the East Coast.

“We kept thinking, what are people going to think if it grows and it’s all over the place like it is here?” Wright said with a laugh. “I don’t think it (survived) the trip back there.”

Wright and Broady said their aunt’s story is one of breaking down barriers. They hope it resonates.

“We didn’t learn (about the contributions of Johnson and her contemporaries) in school. Now we’re learning the scope of it,” Wright said. “I hope people can see the success of some black families out there. And I hope that young kids can be inspired by her and do what she did.”

Broady added that, “to me, the takeaway is that against all odds, against all kinds of adversity, you can achieve your dreams.”

This story was originally published January 5, 2017 at 7:47 PM with the headline "NASA mathematician featured in movie ‘Hidden Figures’ has Tri-City connection."