Vera Pless

[3] Vera Stepen was born on Chicago's west side to a Russian Jewish immigrant family.

[2] Inspired by Irving Kaplansky to study abstract algebra,[4] she stayed at the university for a master's degree, which she earned in 1952 not long after marrying her husband, a high-energy experimental physicist.

[2] During this time she helped to found an organization called Women in Science and Engineering, and at one point was president.

[4] She stayed at AFCRL from 1963 until 1972; a regular visitor and inspiration during this time was Harvard mathematician and cryptographer Andrew Gleason.

[4] She retired in 2006[7] and died at her home in Oak Park, Illinois on March 2, 2020 at the age of 88.