Sons of "Godfather of Silicon Valley" create children's book to inspire kids
There are a lot of lessons the late Roy Clay Sr., the "Godfather of Silicon Valley," taught his children, and one of them is being turned into a children's book.
His sons Roy Jr. and Rodney co-authored the book about his life. It's called "Dream Big: The Roy Clay Story."
The front cover shows an illustration of a wide-eyed kid, ready to take on the world, which is exactly what Roy Sr. did.
"My dad was, I guess in today's terms, you'd call him a visionary," Rodney said.
"It kind of, symbolizes, a lot of what my dad was doing throughout his life," Roy Jr. said.
The book tells their father's life story. It dives into some of the racial barriers he had to live through and overcome as a child in small-town Missouri, to Roy Sr. making his way to the Bay Area where he'd go on to lead the team that built Hewlett-Packard's first computer, and ultimately, become known as the "Godfather of Silicon Valley."
"We wrote it in a form that kids can digest it," Rodney said.
That was an intentional choice. The Clay brothers say they want their father's story to be a source of inspiration for the children of this generation and the ones to follow.
"Just getting them to read something, something that is inspiring, and at the same time, giving them a message of what they could become – the fact that they can overcome all obstacles to achieve what they want to achieve if they focus on it and put their minds to it," Roy Jr. said.
Roy Clay Sr. died in the fall of 2024. His son remembers a supportive father, and a man who never stopped inspiring.
"My dad let us be who we were," Rodney said.
"He was just a constant inspiration," Roy Jr. said.
"My dad, being my dad, who he was, he always wanted to give back. His motto was to improve the quality of life for everybody. So, even in his passing, we said, we have to continue his legacy – what he wanted – his message," Rodney said. "So we said, let's do a children's book, it's something that will be useful to not only parents but to kids."
The brothers hope children and adults, whoever reads the book, can take away some of the life lessons their father instilled in them.
"When one door closes, there's always another one available to open – and a lot of times – it can be a better door," Rodney said.
"Never let anything stand in your way. Keep working towards your goals. Even if it's not easy, follow that bright light that you can see on your horizon – and keep going and going and going," Roy Jr. said.
