Son of Roy Jay Holden, a Virginia Tech professor of geology, and Elizabeth Virginia Evans Holden, Roy Jay Holden Jr. was born in Blacksburg, Virginia on December 13, 1921. After obtaining a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech in 1942, Holden joined the U. S. Army and served with the Coast Artillery Corps and Corps of Engineers during World War II. Following the war, Holden worked briefly at the Glenn L. Martin Company--specializing in design of aircaft controls, heating and ventilation, and electronic equipment--before joining ACF Industries in 1947. As chief project engineer for railroad tank cars, Holden designed and developed new containers and manufacturing methods. His curriculum vita during this time period lists three patents held in his name. In 1973, Holden became a technical service engineer for the Bureau of Explosives (later Hazardous Materials Systems) within the Association of American Railroads (AAR). At the AAR, Holden responded to questions from manufacturers, shippers, and railroad inspectors regarding tank car problems; assisted in the preparation of technical manuals; and participated in responses to--and clean-up of--railroad tank car accidents. He participated in technical meetings of the Chlorine Institute, the National LP Gas Association, and the AAR's Tank Car Committee and was involved in the establishment of the Transportation Test Center's Tank Car Safety School. He also presented technical papers and delivered addresses on the transportation of hazardous materials and emergency response, and he was sometimes called upon as an expert witness in court actions. He married Jane Elizabeth Hockenberry (1924-2015); the couple had one daughter. Roy Jay Holden Jr. died in Washington, D. C. on December 11, 1989.