Biographical Text
Professor Emeritus of Information Technology and Operations Management Melvin R. Roy (February 13, 1939-) was born in Syracuse, Kansas, the second of four sons of Viola M. and Raymond L. Roy. His father, Raymond, a Chickasaw Indian, was born on the Chickasaw Reservation near Madill, Oklahoma, and moved to western Kansas during the great depression. Following his graduation from Syracuse High School in 1957, Roy went on to attend college-the first in his family to do so. He received a B.S. degree in mathematics from Kansas State Teachers College, Emporia, in 1961. Attending Emporia State University on a National Science Foundation Fellowship, he gained an M.A. degree in mathematics in 1968. In 1971, on a Federal Research Fellowship, Roy earned his Ph.D. degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Greely, where he majored in applied statistics, with supporting areas in mathematics and computer science. Dr. Roy married the former Joyce Daniels in Ellsworth, Kansas, on July 8, 1961. Joyce was the fourth child in a family of six children born to Ruth and William Daniels. A member of the staff at Appalachian State University in academic computing services for more than twenty years, she retired in 2000. The Roys have two children and one grandchild. A son, Scott, born June 1962, graduated from the University of North Carlina-Chapel Hill with a degree in economics. He is currently in business in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Scott has a daughter, born November 1995. A daughter, Stacia, born June 1964, graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with a degree in elementary education. Stacia is a systems analyst at Laboratory Corporation of America, in Burlington, North Carolina. Roy began his career as a secondary mathematics teacher in the Kansas public school system. While working toward his doctorate, he taught mathematics and statistics at Weld County Community College, Greeley, Colorado. Roy also worked for Project Head Start as a research analyst for the Rocky Mountain Region. Upon completion of his doctorate, Roy taught statistics, computer programming, and systems analysis in the Department of Business Administration at West Virginia State College and in the College of Graduate Studies in Charleston, West Virginia. Dr. Roy and his family saw Boone, North Carolina, for the first time in November 1972, while visiting a graduate friend on the faculty at Appalachian State University. After being offered and accepting a position at Appalachian State University to develop a program in the area of computer information systems for the Department of Business Education, Dr. Roy moved his family to Boone, in August 1973, intending to stay only two years. Twenty-seven years later, July 2000, he retired from the Department of Information Technology and Operations Management. During his tenure at Appalachian State, Dr. Roy served on numerous committees and councils and was active in a number of professional organizations, including the Decision Sciences Institute. He earned the Certificate in Data Processing from the Institute of Computer Professionals and published and presented many research articles. Roy also served, under Dean Richard Sorensen, as assistant dean of the College of Business. Dr. Roy and his wife have retired at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. They play tennis and golf and enjoy bicycling, particularly on the beautiful beaches of Sea Pines Plantation. Both are quite active in their church on the island and have, among many other things, joined forces in the teaching of adult Bible study. The Roys are thankful for good health, family, and friends, and say "Life is Good!" Sources: Appalachian State University files. -Patti Levine-Brown
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