Background
Darden was born September 10, 1942 to Desma Cheney and Noah Horace Mann Senior in Monroe, North Carolina. Her mother was an elementary school teacher and her father was an insurance agent.
Darden was born September 10, 1942 to Desma Cheney and Noah Horace Mann Senior in Monroe, North Carolina. Her mother was an elementary school teacher and her father was an insurance agent.
Bachelor of Science, Hampton Institute, 1962. Master of Science, Virginia State College, 1967. Doctor of Science, George Washington University, 1983.
Her parents encouraged her education, sending her to Allen High School, a boarding school in Asheville, North Carolina. After earning her degree she briefly taught high school mathematics. In 1965 she became a research assistant at Virginia State College, studying aerosol physics.
At Virginia State, she also worked as a professor of mathematics and earned her Master of Surgery in 1967.
In 1967 Darden was hired by National Aeronautics and Space Administration as a data analyst at Langley Research Center. At first her work was primarily performing calculations for engineers, but she later began writing computer programs for the engineers.
In 1973 she was promoted to an aerospace engineer During this time she continued her education, earning her Doctor of Philosophy in 1983 from George Washington University.
In 1989 she was promoted to leader of the Sonic Boom Team.
On the Sonic Boom Team she worked to decrease the negative effects of sonic booms such as noise pollution and the depletion of the ozone layer. Her team tested new wing and nose designs for supersonic aircraft. She also designed a computer program to simulate sonic booms.
Fellow American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (associate, membership chair 1991, secretary aeroacoustics technical committee 1987-1991). Member National Technology Association (national secretary 1990-1991).
Married Walter Lee Darden Junior, June 13, 1963. Children: Jeanne, Janet.