Judy Clapp

Judy Clapp joined Project Whirlwind in 1952 after earning her master’s degree in applied sciences from Radcliffe College. She worked at MIT and then Lincoln Laboratory. Clapp joined MITRE when it was founded in 1958, where she developed software for the Whirlwind, the first-real-time digital computer, and helped program what would become the Semi-Autonomous Ground Environment (SAGE) system, the nation’s first air defense system and MITRE’s first work product.

She developed re-usable code and was the lead “computer” on SAGE. In 1961, Clapp became a manager in the Programming Research and Development group; there were no other female managers at MITRE at the time. She advocated for women programmers to be designated as “technical staff” so they could be considered on equal footing for pay and advancement.

Throughout her career at MITRE, Clapp focused on ways to improve the processes used in the acquisition and development of large, complex software systems across MITRE’s many projects. She advocated concepts of adaptation and reuse of software components from one system to another to increase the speed and reliability of new system developments.

Clapp retired in 2005, after 46 years with MITRE. Her work and career earned several prestigious awards, including a feature article as one of the “Pioneering Women in Computer Science” by the Association for Computing Machinery in 1995. In 1997, she was also honored as a woman pioneer at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. In 2001, she received an Achievement Award from the Society of Women Engineers for her outstanding contributions to the field of engineering.

Public Release #23-03271-3