The historic life and legacy of the late Congressman William “Bill” Clay Sr. will be celebrated during a public memorial service at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus.
Clay, who died July 17 following a lengthy illness, was the first Black member of Congress elected from Missouri and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
“Congressman Clay helped build the CBC into a force for equity and accountability in American democracy,” U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York, chair of the CBC, said after Clay’s death. “As a member of Congress, he was a fierce defender of labor rights, education and social justice.”
A native of St. Louis, Clay earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Saint Louis University in 1953. He later established the William L. Clay Scholarship and Research Fund in 1983 to help students with the ability and drive to attend college but without the financial means to do so.
He was also a staunch supporter of UMSL, playing a key role in securing funding for the Touhill Center, where his memorial will be held.
“If America is to be prosperous and stay competitive, we must continue to improve educational opportunities for students of all ages,” Clay once said in reflecting on his scholarship fund’s founding.
Clay represented Missouri’s 1st Congressional District for 32 years, serving his entire tenure on the House Education and Labor Committee. He was instrumental in major legislative reforms, including the Hatch Act, which limits political activities of federal employees, and he helped advance the Family and Medical Leave Act, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1993.
In his final term, Clay was a co-sponsor of the federal bill calling for a commission to study reparations for slavery and racial discrimination.
I just turned back from going to the service. I have some leg problems and just don’t deal well with heavy rain. I love Bill Clay, his family and what they stand for.