Local inventors hope to help others

By Sharon Hicks, KP News

Chris Caulkins and Chere Conner are among the Key Peninsula’s newest inventors. Although they appear to be a quiet, laid-back couple, they are actively dedicated to human interest and working on safety aids to help others.

Chris Caulkins and Chere Conner with a Cane Keeper and of their two affectionate dogs. Photo by Karina Whitmarsh

Their invention, recently patented, is called the Cane Keeper. After a 1999 car accident, Caulkins had to use a cane. Tired of having it fall every time it was set down, he wanted to do something about it. While he and Conner were playing with a Huskies football team’s rooting horn, the idea and shape came to them.

“If you believe in something, you can achieve it,” Caulkins says.

They toyed with the idea for eight months; it then took another four years to develop, patent and produce it. The shape was altered to add 10 pounds of weight for balance. Before sending the prototype to an engineer, the dimensions had to be preset. When told the design was too big, the couple had to come up with two smaller ones to convince the engineer their dimensions were correct. Voila, the Cane Keeper became a reality. (Locally, the device is sold at CostLess in Wauna, and the Olympic Pharmacy in Gig Harbor).

This little human aid is usable anywhere and is easily transportable, weighing just over a pound. It is designed to hold a cane upright without tipping over and is a great accessory for anyone using a cane. Caulkins and Conner do a lot of research for other ideas. Several are on the back burner and one is currently in the works, all for helping others with disabilities. “A lot of time, money and effort go into planning and designing,” Caulkins says.

Caulkins is a Washington native, and for the past 11 years has worked as a registered nurse for Western State University. He is also a personal trainer for people with disabilities. He is devoted to his work six days a week. Prior to becoming a nurse, he worked on experimental aircraft for the U.S. Department of Defense.

hris Caulkins started collecting rocks and minerals nearly 20 years ago. The couple now have an extensive collection. Photo by Karina Whitmarsh

Conner is from Connecticut and is a Washington resident of 14 years. The couple has lived on the peninsula for nine years. Her passion was costume designing, and in 1998 she sewed costumes for seven of the Seafair pirates. Her other passion was working as a jeweler, designing and creating exotic pieces out of silver and gold. Today, she has a shop in their home and considers jewelry-making a hobby due to arthritis in her hands. Their family includes an orange cat, who was born with seven toes and greets anyone coming to the door, as well as two affectionate dogs.

Collecting minerals and rocks from all over the world and United States has been a cherished hobby for Caulkins for the past 18 years. A long, glass case displays minerals from malachite and quartz, to azurite and calcite. A most unusual one is okinite, also called rabbit’s foot, as the crystal is soft and fuzzy, whereas the piece of ulexite looks like a fairytale white castle.

Every flat surface in the dining room and den is occupied by one of their gem collections. A pedestal displays a gigantic, polished sphere taken from a piece of petrified wood; on the floor next to it lies an untouched (except for the surface) piece of petrified wood about 18 by 12 inches.

Conner is now the user of the Cane Keeper, as she frequently needs the added assistance of a cane. The two believe strongly in their first invention and are eager for it to be an aid to others.

The long-range goal for Caulkins and Conner is to help others as well as continue developing their dream inventions. A few have been sold but they are aware that it sometimes takes several years for something new to be publicly discovered.

©Copyright 2005-2008, Key Peninsula News, all rights reserved.