Clay was the only child of William Clayton Tatom, Sr. and Alma Lois Prothro Tatom of Midland, Texas. His father was a telegraph operator for the Texas and Pacific Railway and his mother was a professional portrait photographer. Clay was born in Dallas on January 4, 1935, and raised in Midland. The family home was in town, but Clay also spent a good deal of time on their small cotton farm on the outskirts of town. He rode horses, helped with gardening, and tended to the small farm animals. He spoke fondly of his time spent there. At an early age he developed an interest in science and spent countless hours operating his ham radio. School activities included the tennis team and DeMolay, the Masonic youth fraternity. He was the Valedictorian of the Midland High School Class of 1953.
Clay enrolled at The Rice Institute (now Rice University) in Houston that year, majoring in electrical engineering. Looking back in later years, he would remark that he especially valued his coursework in literature and history, foreshadowing the wide range of interests he carried throughout his life. Lifelong friendships were also made at Rice. One summer he earned extra money driving trucks for the crews taking oil well measurements in the oil fields of the Permian Basin. Another summer was spent studying philosophy at the University of Colorado – and enjoying cooler weather. At a dance in Houston in 1956, he was introduced to Julia Sharon Strong, his future wife. He graduated from Rice in 1957 and moved to Austin to enter the graduate program at the University of Texas. He joined the staff of the Defense Research Laboratory while studying there. Clay and Sharon married in 1958 and he earned his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1959.
Clay’s professional career began as an engineer with Texas Instruments in Dallas. In 1963 he joined Motorola in Phoenix, where he became much more interested in the marketing and promotional aspects of the electronics industry. He moved into marketing – traveling, meeting customers, and promoting products, but also relishing the role of developing new products based on customer feedback. Clay joined Burr-Brown Research as Director of Corporate Planning in 1978 and moved the family to Tucson. He volunteered in the Junior Achievement program and enjoyed family hikes in the beautiful Sonoran Desert. Burr-Brown spun off a new company – Intelligent Instrumentation Incorporated – where Clay became the Vice President of Marketing. In this role he traveled to several locations in Europe and East Asia. In preparation for his visits, he enjoyed the challenge of learning the customs and languages of the countries he visited.
In 2010, Clay was one of a team of engineers to receive a Milestone Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The award is presented for an important achievement in electrical or computer engineering, typically awarded 25 years or more after product completion to properly evaluate the significance of the work. This award recognized the Burr-Brown team that launched the world’s first monolithic 16-bit digital to analog converter in 1982. This development ushered in the age of digital audio, first in compact disc players.
Outside of work, Clay filled his life with many interests. He was a good photographer and enjoyed rock-hounding and the subsequent lapidary and jewelry work on those rocks and gems he found. In his reading he monitored the latest developments in aviation and aerospace technology and was an avid fan of science fiction. He loved to listen quietly to music – especially classical and country. He enjoyed watching tennis tournaments on television and movies from his extensive film collection – so long as they had happy endings.
Most importantly, Clay will be remembered for his enjoyment of, and devotion to, his large family. It gave him great joy to share his interests, hobbies, and adventures with those he loved, and those who loved him, including his family and close friends. Family camping trips, poetry readings, children’s games and songs, corny jokes, and wise fatherly advice will always be cherished by his loved ones. Clay is survived by Sharon, his devoted wife of 66 years; his children David (Laurie), Sheryl, Will (Erinn), and Bonnie (Matt); ten grandchildren; and one great- grandchild. He will rest in peace at East Lawn Palms Cemetery in Tucson.
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