Articles
Articles
NEWSPAPERS / MAJOR NEWS MEDIA
“Fully Charged: Roy Clay, founder of ROD-L Electronics, keeps pushing for corporate responsibility” — The Almanac — December 25, 2002
written while Roy was still running ROD-L.
Within the world of internet casinos, astromania casino has crafted an identity that resonates with many players. The mobile game selection is identical to the desktop version and contains all available titles. The platform operates under an official gambling licence from a recognised regulatory authority. Helpful tutorial videos explain the rules of the live games for newcomers. Special-event bonuses accompany major sporting events and casino highlights throughout the year. Data access and correction requests are processed in accordance with data protection regulations. The cashier page encrypts all transactions with bank-level SSL. Quest systems integrate game-like elements into the normal casino experience. Overall, the casino shows that quality and variety can very well go hand in hand.
“Unsung Pioneers of High Tech” — Palo Alto Online / Palo Alto Weekly — January 30, 2009
Important early Silicon Valley history article.
03
“Roy L. Clay Sr.: How a Silicon Valley Tech Pioneer Came Close to Being Michael Brown” — San Jose Mercury News — August 28, 2014
Especially interesting because this was written by Roy himself after the Michael Brown killing, connecting his childhood experience in Ferguson with his later life in Silicon Valley. The 2023 USA Today history also specifically identifies this as Roy’s Mercury News op-ed.
“Black Tech Week Spotlights Pioneers, Rising Stars” — Miami Herald — February 27, 2015
Roy is prominently featured and photographed receiving a lifetime achievement award.
PDF copy of the Miami Herald article — Miami Dade College archive
Useful if the Herald link is blocked/paywalled.
“‘They Couldn’t Stop Him’: The Incredible Story of the ‘Godfather of Silicon Valley’” — SFGATE — October 20, 2021 / updated September 14, 2022
This is one of the strongest long-form newspaper-style profiles I found. It covers HP, the HP 2116A, racism, Ferguson, Palo Alto, the Olympic Club, and Roy’s family.
07
“The Sunday Read: Andrew Chamings on the Life of Bay Area Legend Roy Clay” — SFGATE — October 22, 2021
Companion piece explaining how the reporter discovered Roy’s remarkable story.
08
“Life of Montclair’s Clay, a Tech Pioneer, Includes Many Black ‘Firsts’” — East Bay Times — January 31, 2023
Excellent later profile specifically emphasizing Roy’s technological and racial-barrier-breaking “firsts.”
09
Alternate copy: “Life of Montclair’s Clay, a Tech Pioneer, Includes Several Black ‘Firsts’” — Lou Fancher
Useful if the East Bay Times paywall interferes.
10
“The Race to Save Silicon Valley’s Untold Black History: ‘Nobody Had Recorded Any of This Ever’” — Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY — June 7, 2023
One of the most important articles on this entire list. Roy is a central figure in a lengthy investigation into the missing Black history of Silicon Valley. It discusses Lawrence Livermore, HP, venture capital, Intel/Compaq, HBCU recruiting, Palo Alto, the Olympic Club and much more.
11
Alternate Yahoo/USA Today copy of “The Race to Save Silicon Valley’s Untold Black History”
This version was accessible in my search and contains the long article.
12
“Roy Clay Sr., a Silicon Valley Pioneer Who Knocked Down Racial Barriers, Dies at 95” — Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY — September 25, 2024
A substantial obituary rather than a short death notice; it covers his importance to HP and Silicon Valley and quotes Ken Coleman on his historical significance.
13
Readable copy of the USA Today obituary — Fostering Promise
Useful if USA Today is paywalled.
14
“Roy Clay Sr., ‘Godfather of Silicon Valley,’ Remembered as Pioneering, Selfless” — The Almanac — September 30, 2024
Detailed local obituary from the Palo Alto/Menlo Park area.
16
“Roy Clay Sr., Known as the ‘Godfather of Silicon Valley’ for Breaking Racial Barriers, Dies at 95” — Black Enterprise — 2024
Black Enterprise had covered and honored Roy previously as a technology pioneer.
17
“15 Tech Luminaries We Lost in 2024” — Computerworld — Roy L. Clay Sr. section
Contains a substantial mini-biography emphasizing HP, the 2116A, HBCU recruitment, venture-capital consulting and ROD-L.
18
“Sons of ‘Godfather of Silicon Valley’ Create Children’s Book to Inspire Kids” — CBS San Francisco/KPIX — February 9, 2025
Includes interviews with Roy Jr. and Rodney about Roy Sr.’s life and legacy.
19
“Safeway to Counsel Workers After Incident With Black Patron” — San Francisco Chronicle/SFGATE — December 16, 1999
Not primarily about Silicon Valley history, but it is an older newspaper article involving Roy and his family, and identifies him as a former Palo Alto councilman.
20
“Before Bill Gates, There Was Roy L. Clay Sr.” — The Root — Diedtra Henderson — originally 2012
An important early national profile.
21
“East of Palo Alto’s Eden: Race and the Formation of Silicon Valley” — TechCrunch — January 10, 2015
A major long-form history of race and Silicon Valley. Roy appears in the historical discussion of HP and Black hiring.
22
“From Ferguson to Silicon Valley: A Black Pioneer Gives Back” — Forbes — Michael Hickins — February 19, 2015
Excellent Roy-focused article covering his entire route from Kinloch/Ferguson through Livermore, Control Data, HP and ROD-L.
23
“Roy Clay Sr., The Godfather of Silicon Valley” — On Tech Street — February 13, 2015
One of the more detailed articles devoted specifically to his computing history.
24
“Pioneers in Computer Science: Roy L. Clay Sr.” — College Board — March 23, 2015
A concise but useful educational biography often cited by later Roy Clay articles.
25
“Black History Month Spotlight: Roy L. Clay Sr.” — Caribbean National Weekly — February 5, 2016
26
“Moments in History: Roy Clay Sr.” — Palo Alto Museum / Palo Alto Historical Association — October 28, 2020
Very useful summary of his Palo Alto and HP history.
27
“African American Leaders in Tech: Part 2” — Minnesota IT Services
Contains a substantial Roy Clay section and, importantly, cites several older sources.
28
“Hidden Figures: 7 Black Programmers You Should Know” — InfoWorld — 2021
Roy is one of the programmers profiled.
29
“Roy Clay Sr. — The Godfather of Silicon Valley” — Nth Generation — February 24, 2023
Focused on his role creating HP’s computer business and expanding Black participation in technology.
30
“Silicon Valley Unsung Hero: Roy L Clay Sr.” — The Chabot Spectator — December 18, 2023
A surprisingly extensive piece and one of the articles most directly concerned with why Roy has been left out of popular Silicon Valley history.
31
“Black History Month 2023: Celebrating Influential Black Americans in Tech” — CRN
Contains a detailed Roy Clay section covering HP, the 2116A, R&D leadership and ROD-L.
32
“Roy Clay: Increasing Diversity in the Software Engineering Profession” — Vault Consulting
Biography emphasizing both his engineering work and recruitment/diversity efforts.
33
“Roy Clay: The Godfather of Silicon Valley” — Hewlett-Packard History
Especially useful because it comes from HP’s own historical archive and specifically identifies Roy as a founding member of HP’s first computer division and leader of the 2116A team.
34
“Mr. Roy L. Clay, Sr. — 2003 Hall of Fame” — Silicon Valley Engineering Council
Very important as an authoritative Silicon Valley historical source. It describes his HP computer work, consulting for Kleiner Perkins and involvement with Tandem, Compaq and Intel.
36
“Roy Clay Sr., the Godfather of Silicon Valley” — KTVU FOX 2 — February 22, 2023
Claudine Wong interviews Roy’s sons about his history and legacy.
37
“Why Roy Clay Sr. Is Called the Godfather of Silicon Valley” — KALW — April 10, 2023
Radio feature/interview with Chris Clay.
38
“Oral History of Roy Clay” — Computer History Museum — recorded December 13, 2016
This may ultimately be the single most valuable research source in the entire collection. It is a 56-page first-person oral history with Roy interviewed by Gardner Hendrie and Chuck House. It goes deeply into HP, early computing, Black engineers in Silicon Valley, Tandem, Intel and other people/events that Roy said had never been recorded in the standard histories.
39
“Unstoppable: The Unlikely Story of a Silicon Valley Godfather — Silicon Valley Talks” — Stanford University / Silicon Valley Archives — October 25, 2023
Stanford’s Silicon Valley Archives presentation devoted to Roy’s history.
40
Stanford book talk and signing on Roy Clay — October 29, 2024
Contains a good institutional summary of Roy’s role at HP and with Kleiner Perkins.
41
“Shining a Light on the Contributions of the Black Community to Silicon Valley” — Stanford Report — January 2026
Not exclusively about Roy, but historically important: Stanford’s current effort to preserve Black Silicon Valley history explicitly names Roy as a key figure whose recent death underscored the urgency of preserving this material.
