Description
Tim’s drive and lifelong
passion for adventure was apparent from his early childhood days. Born in
Philadelphia to Don and Elva Kelton in 1974, his family moved to Newton, Kansas
when he was six years old. It was in Kansas that his immense talent in cycling first
emerged. At age 13, he did his first Biking Across Kansas event, riding 500
miles over eight days. Although he was among the smallest riders in the pack,
his goal was to be the first to finish each day.
Tim went on to be a
collegiate athlete, riding on the cycling team at Midwestern State University
in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he graduated with a degree in mechanical
engineering. He also spent several years as a professional cyclist in
France.
Tim moved to New Mexico in
1999, where he served his country through his work supporting the national
security mission at Los Alamos National Laboratory. In 2014, Tim co-founded a
tech start-up called Descartes Labs, which focuses on automating analysis of
geospatial data. The company was listed by the Wall Street Journal as one of
the 25 hottest tech start-ups in 2018. At the time of his death, Tim was Vice
President of Software Engineering at autonomous driving company Aurora
Innovation.
You can honor Tim’s legacy
by making a donation in his name to the Midwestern State University cycling
program, which had a huge positive impact on his life during his formative
years.