The BulleTin • Sunday, april 25, 2021 C3
Tires
DEAR ABBY
Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com
or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Dear Abby: My daughter
was accepted at a college of
her choice in Pennsylvania
that offered loads of grant
money. Our out-of-pocket
is about $6,000 if she gets a
Stafford loan or works this
summer to help with the
$4,500 that would be the
loan. My husband is insist-
ing on a community college,
which she doesn’t want to
attend. He constantly cites
the fact that our house is in
foreclosure and that he owes
money to the IRS for his
business, which is why things
can’t be.
I think our children
should be able to do things if
they’re workable. I encour-
aged them all through school
to do their best and follow
their dreams. My husband
offered no assistance with
homework or anything else.
Any compliments they got
for extracurricular involve-
ment and excellent grades,
he’d always say it was because
of me — and rightly so, but it
was also them.
Incidentally, our firstborn
wanted to go to a particular
college, but his father con-
vinced him to go to the com-
munity college by promising
he’d pay for it and get him a
car. He never even taught the
poor kid to drive. I offered
professional driving lessons,
but my son declined.
Now my husband is us-
ing the same tactics on my
daughter. Should I send her
to follow her dreams against
his wishes? You can’t stifle
them forever.
— Encouraging mom
in New York
Dear Mom: With the
house in foreclosure and
money owed to the IRS, your
husband is right to be con-
cerned. Sometimes the best-
laid plans go awry because
of circumstances beyond our
control, specifically the vol-
atile economic climate we
have been experiencing.
That said, I think you may
be overdue to have a frank
talk with your daughter
about what she may have to
do in order to supplement
the grants being offered by
the college of her choice. If
she is willing to work over
the summer and possibly be-
yond — and considers taking
out a student loan of her own
— she should be given the
chance to live her dream.
Dear Abby: My husband
and I have been together 15
years. We used to be insepa-
rable. He was my best friend.
Ever since our daughter
was born nine years ago, we
rarely spend time together.
Most of his free time is spent
in the basement doing wood-
working; I spend my time
upstairs or outside. I don’t
think he enjoys my company
anymore.
I have told him this, and
he says it’s not intentional,
and he loves me more now
than ever. But it feels to me
like we are growing apart,
and I am very lonely. Because
my daughter is who I spend
most of my time with, she
is the one who suffers my
moods when I’m sad and up-
set with him. What can we
do to be friends again instead
of just parents?
— Missing It in Ohio
Dear Missing: Explain to
your husband that you are
lonely and need more of him
than you have been getting
since your daughter was
born. Start exploring child
care options and then sched-
ule some adults-only date
nights for just the two of you.
This works for many other
couples, and it may help the
two of you renew some of
the excitement that was there
when you were child-free.
YOUR HOROSCOPE
By Madalyn Aslan
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2021: Artsy,
slow-moving and pragmatic, your smile lights up the room. This year, you
present original ideas that you normally keep to yourself. Follow your in-
stincts, and professional success will be yours. Due to your sensible approach
to fiscal matters, you will be in good financial shape with money to spare.
If single, don’t make snap decisions about people you meet. If attached, be
your partner’s greatest cheerleader. CANCER softens you.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Take whatever time you need to clear up a communication snafu.
Talk it through rather than text or email. It is never too corny to tell people
you love how much they mean to you. Tonight: Play a board game.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Household chores are overwhelming, but the faster you work, the
sooner you move on to pleasantries. Exercise outside and create a healthy
menu. Getting in tip-top shape will prepare you for professional challenges
that lie ahead. Tonight: Follow your heart.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Take a break from watching sports all afternoon. Spend the day out-
doors and get a taste of the real thing. Join an amateur team or cheer one on.
Work up a sweat with a hike or bike ride. Tonight: Family time.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Track down cousins who can fill gaps in your family tree. Make your
home more cheerful. A fresh coat of paint will do the trick. When you host a
dinner party, the effort will have been worthwhile. Tonight: Cardio workout.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Neighbors, siblings and relatives provide a respite from pressures in
your work life. Now that warmer weather has arrived, a potluck meal or block
party held outside can lay the foundation for a deeper connection. Tonight:
Pay attention to a problem.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Keep your eye on several vacation spots that have something for
everyone. If your financial calculations are correct, you will be able to afford
first-rate accommodations at a destination you can all enjoy. Tonight: Take
back something you said.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Don’t fight the urge to spend a relaxing day without distractions.
Putter around the house and take your time getting things done. Read a
page-turning memoir about a celebrity you admire. Tonight: Prepare a fami-
ly dinner with their favorite dishes.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Take time away from social commitments and reflect on your next
moves. Think about how to use innovative ideas to make a lasting impact at
the workplace or an organization in which you are active. Tonight: Cuddle
with someone you love.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Get together with friends you haven’t hung out with for some
time. Share your deepest emotions with each other. Act as a sounding board
for someone’s problems. Brainstorm about a project that is starting to germi-
nate. Tonight: Attempt Sunday’s crossword puzzle.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Count on friends and family to cut you some slack while you solve a
work dilemma. Master the art of multitasking to keep up with various proj-
ects. A support system will ease your ability to move ahead. Tonight: Herbal
tea.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Satisfy your inquisitive mind with an in-person or online lecture. Meet
with a close friend who has equally strong opinions and craves intellectual
discussions. Whether you agree or disagree, you never take it personally.
Tonight: Binge a sci-fi series.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Explore an emotional reaction you had while talking to a family
member. Talk to someone you love who is objective and nonjudgmental.
Own up to what you said and deeply apologize. Hopefully they will accept
and move on. Tonight: YouTube videos.
Continued from C1
“We first had an interest in
the automotive version of this
technology, and were prepar-
ing to create a bicycle version
but then learned that a bicycle
version already existed that was
co-invented by Calvin and two
other NASA engineers,” said
Cole. “We were glad to hear
that and immediately knew its
potential.”
Smart Tire is now fundrais-
ing for product development
and is slated for sale in 2022.
More than $1.2 million has
been raised so far. A Wefunder
page allows anyone to contrib-
ute. The investors give Calvin
credit for the company’s suc-
cess so far.
“Calvin has been amazing.
He works very quickly and dili-
gently,” said Cole. “He was able
to build our first bicycle pro-
totype, METL, in no time, and
we look forward to the next it-
eration.”
The investors hope the tech-
nology can be applied to other
uses too, and have plans to de-
velop tires for cars, trucks and
airplanes.
“The bike tire will be a
launchpad for tackling the in-
dustry as a whole,” said Young.
“Replacing inflatable tires onto
ground and air vehicles prom-
ises to have a huge impact on
fuel efficiency and fleet reliabil-
ity — and our goal is nothing
less than revolutionizing the
transportation sector.”
Those big aspirations had
modest beginnings in Bend,
where his family settled after
Submitted
Bend native Calvin Young adapted the Mars Rover tires into an airless
bicycle tire.
his father took an engineering
job in Redmond with Precision
Castparts Corporation.
Young attended Elk Meadow
Elementary School and Cas-
cade Middle School. He still
has fond memories of riding
bikes around Elk Meadow in
the days when large meadows
still existed there. Summers
were spent creating bike parks
with friends along the canal in
Southwest Bend.
Growing up in Bend gave
him unique perspectives and
experiences that sent him on
a twisted career trajectory that
mixed education, travel and
work.
“Though I had a late start as
an engineer, I wouldn’t trade it
for any of the experiences I had
along the way,” he said.
Those experiences included
math and science classes at
Central Oregon Community
College, liberal arts classes at
Portland Community College
and then a degree in philoso-
phy from Portland State Uni-
versity.
“I felt that it was important
to have a well-rounded educa-
tion, or maybe that was just my
way of rationalizing the diffi-
culty of picking a career path,”
said Young.
Degree in hand, Young de-
cided to go to the birthplace
of philosophy and spent four
months cycling around Greece
and Turkey, exploring ancient
ruins and camping along the
Mediterranean Sea. Then there
was a stint in New York City
working at a design studio.
“In New York, I realized that
I wanted to do something big-
ger and more challenging,” said
Young. “So at 25 years old I de-
cided to go back to school and
become an engineer.”
His interest in engineering
actually started a few years ear-
lier. While working at a coffee
shop in Portland, he struck up
conversations with a frequent
customer, William Winters, a
self-employed mechanical en-
gineer.
Winters introduced con-
cepts of engineering, and those
conversations planted a seed
in Young to pursue the field as
a career.
“We would stay late talking
theoretical physics, philoso-
phy, religion, politics, etc. and
through those conversations, I
was inspired by his knowledge
and intuition,” said Young.
“He never explicitly suggested
that engineering was the best
route for me, but through him,
I realized that it was a power-
ful discipline that would ulti-
mately give me the breadth of
scientific and technical knowl-
edge that I was looking for.”
Young studied engineering
back at Portland State, found
his way to the labs of NASA
and his eventual path to de-
signing his bike tire. He even
managed to wedge in work
with Voltaic Systems, a solar
panel company.
Young isn’t quite sure what’s
next but hopes it will be some-
thing that can benefit human-
ity. Making a tire that gets
more people out on their bikes
is a start, he said. Or it could
expand into designing tires
that improve fuel efficiency, a
step toward reducing carbon
emissions.
“That is where I want to
end up, doing something for
the planet, for mankind,” said
Young. “That is how I think
about things now.”
e
Reporter: 541-617-7818,
mkohn@bendbulletin.com