Roy Clay

Last updated

Roy Clay
Born(1929-08-22)August 22, 1929
Ferguson, Missouri or Kinloch, Missouri, U.S.
DiedSeptember 22, 2024(2024-09-22) (aged 95)
Oakland, California, U.S.
Alma mater Saint Louis University
Employer Hewlett-Packard
TitleFounder and CEO of ROD-L Electronics
Spouse
Virgina Clay
​
(m. 1957)​
Children3

Roy L. Clay Sr. (August 22, 1929 – September 22, 2024) was an American computer scientist and inventor. He was a founding member of the computer division at Hewlett-Packard, where he led the team that created the HP 2116A 16-bit minicomputer. He served as Chief Executive Officer of ROD-L electronics and was involved with the development of electrical safety equipment.

Contents

Early life and education

Clay was born on August 22, 1929, in Ferguson, Missouri or Kinloch, Missouri. [1] [2] [3] At the time, Kinloch was the oldest African-American community that was incorporated in Missouri. [2] During his summer holidays, he worked as a gardener in Ferguson, but was encouraged by the local police to leave the majority white town. [4] Despite experiencing racism throughout his childhood, Clay's mother told him to "you will face racism the rest of your life, but don't ever let that be a reason why you don't succeed". [4] [5] [6]

Clay attended a segregated school and eventually was awarded a scholarship to study mathematics at Saint Louis University (SLU). [1] [6] While at SLU, Clay wanted to become a baseball player. [6] He was one of the first African-Americans to graduate from SLU, earning a bachelor's degree in 1951. [4]

Career

After struggling to find work in technology, Clay started work as a school teacher. [7] At an interview for McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, Clay was taken aside and told "Mr. Clay, I'm very sorry, we don't hire professional Negroes". [6] He taught himself to write software, and by 1958 was a programmer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). [1] Clay's early professional work involved creating a radiation tracking system to study the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. [4] While working at LLNL, Clay was introduced to David Packard, who encouraged Clay to apply for a job. [8]

After leaving LLNL, Clay worked at Control Data Corporation, where he created new Fortran compilers. [4] [9] In 1962, Clay moved to Palo Alto, California. [6] Clay joined Hewlett-Packard (HP), where he helped to launch and lead the Computer Science division in 1965. [10] [11] He was director of the team who developed the HP 2116A, one of the company's first minicomputers. Clay stayed at HP into the 1970s, eventually rising to being the highest-ranking African-American member of staff. [1] While working at HP, Clay developed several initiatives to improve the representation of African-Americans in Silicon Valley. [4] He recognized the need to test electrical products for safety, and left HP in 1971 to start his own business. [10]

In 1977, Clay was the founding director of ROD-L Electronics, based in Menlo Park, California, [12] a "hipot and electrical-safety test equipment manufacturer." [7]

In 2002, Clay was elected by the African American Museum and Library at Oakland as one of the most important African-Americans working in technology. [10] San Mateo County awarded ROD-L Electronics the Dads Count Family Friendly Employer Award, and Clay was inducted into the Silicon Valley Hall of Fame in 2003. [13]

Personal life

Clay was married to Virginia Clay, with whom he had three sons: Roy Jr, Rodney, and Chris. [14] After his wife died in 1995, Clay founded the Virginia Clay Annual Golf Classic. [6] Clay was involved with local politics, and was the first African-American to join the city council of Palo Alto. He was elected vice mayor in 1976. [1] [4] Clay published a memoir, Unstoppable: The Unlikely Story of a Silicon Valley Godfather, in 2022. [3] [15] He died on September 22, 2024, at the age of 95. [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Mangrum, Doris I. (March 23, 2015). "Computer Genius Roy L. Clay Sr. Started Life in Ferguson, Mo". Post News Group. Oakland Post . Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Henderson, Diedtra (February 24, 2012). "Before Bill Gates, There Was Roy L. Clay Sr". The Root. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Guynn, Jessica (September 25, 2024). "Roy Clay Sr., a Silicon Valley pioneer who knocked down racial barriers, dies at 95". USA Today . Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hickins, Michael. "From Ferguson To Silicon Valley: A Black Pioneer Gives Back". Forbes. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Black Tech Week spotlights pioneers, rising stars". Miami Herald. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Barber, John T. (2006). The Black Digital Elite: African American Leaders of the Information Revolution. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN   978-0-275-98504-2.
  7. 1 2 "Hipot Testers". rodl.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2020– via Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ "MNIT Blog". Minnesota IT Services. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  9. ↑ Dremann, Sue (January 30, 2009). "Unsung pioneers of high tech". www.paloaltoonline.com. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 "Fully charged: Roy Clay, founder of ROD-L Electronics, keeps pushing for corporate responsibility (December 25, 2002)". www.almanacnews.com. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  11. ↑ admin (February 5, 2016). "Black History Month Spotlight: Roy L. Clay Sr". Caribbean News. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  12. ↑ blackentrepreneurprofile.com. "Roy L. Clay, Sr". Black Entrepreneurs & Executives Profiles. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Silicon Valley Engineering Council – Hall of Fame". svec.herokuapp.com. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  14. ↑ Fancher, Lou (February 2, 2023). "Life of Montclair's Clay, a tech pioneer, includes many Black 'firsts'". Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  15. ↑ Clay, Roy L. (2022). Unstoppable: The Unlikely Story of a Silicon Valley Godfather. with M. H. Jackson. ASIN   B0B6L2ZX33.
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