Eugene H. Clay was born on October 14, 1939 in Dublin, Georgia, to James and Auro Clay. He attended Abraham Clark High School in Roselle, New Jersey, where he was a three-year member of the varsity football team, a part of the school choir, and a member of the judicial board. He graduated in the spring of 1958.
Clay enrolled at Morgan State College in Baltimore, Maryland, in the fall of 1958, where he was a four-year member of the football team. After graduating in 1962, he returned to New Jersey to work. At that time, Founder Raymond Clark encouraged Clay to become a member of Groove Phi Groove. In 1964, Clay was on the very first graduate chapter line in Roselle, New Jersey.
In 1971, Clay was employed at ESSO Eastern (now Exxon Mobil) in Manhattan before relocating to Houston to work at the company’s headquarters. In 1972, Clay started EHCLAY Personnel Services, a company at which he served as Chief Executive Officer. The following year, Clay began working for Lockheed Corporation (now Lockheed Martin) at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
From 1973 to about 1975, Clay served as the third National President. Under his leadership, the Fellowship saw exponential growth, with the creation of new undergraduate chapters like Prairie View A&M University and Atlanta University (now Clark-Atlanta University).
In 1997, Clay retired from Lockheed Martin as the Director of Human Resources. Following his retirement, he participated in several community service collaborations with the mayor’s office. He also started Hardwick Vending Services and has been at the helm of that company for the last several years.
Clay was married to Shirley Clay (now deceased) and has three children: Kyle (deceased), Karen, and Sean. He resides in Houston and is an avid golfer.
