Roy Weatherford was born on May 30, 1943 in Middlebrook, Arkansas.

When University of South Florida (USF) professor Sami Al-Arian was suspended because he was suspected of aiding the terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, fellow professor and USF faculty union president Roy Weatherford filed a grievance on Al-Arian’s behalf, complaining that Al-Arian’s dismissal was discriminatory and violated his academic freedom. Weatherford called the charges against Al-Arian “vague,” “fantastic,” and “irrelevant.” He added that he (Weatherford) and his colleagues “won’t take [Attorney General] John Ashcroft’s word” that Al-Arian was actually involved in terrorism.

Weatherford died on April 19, 2020 as a result of congestive heart failure.