Author Description

In the early days of the sugar industry, “Sugar Tramps” were men who were sugar technologists. Sugar was a seasonal crop and, as the crops came in at different times in different tropical areas, the sugar men traveled from one place to another – and called themselves “Sugar Tramps”. By the time our Dad became a sugar chemist, it was becoming a year round job, as they became involved in other parts of the sugar process. However our Mom always affectionately called Dad her “Sugar Tramp”. Indeed they did move about quite a bit. From Louisiana to Hawaii, a try at farming in California, to Mexico to work in a sugar mill, to San Diego, to Crocket. He was out of the sugar business for a while when the family moved to Concord, California, then back to Mexico; finally working at Spreckles Sugar Company in San Francisco. Often, due to Dads work, they were separated and letters became an important part of their life. There were a few letters from Dad when he was studying sugar technology at Louisiana State University. Mom was teaching school then, and her letters of that period were probably lost when he went to Hawaii. When he went to Hawaii they wrote almost weekly for two years and ten months, telling of their activities, becoming engaged, discussing marriage, and of course loving each other. When they were together, Mom wrote to her family, asking that they return her letters to keep as a kind of diary. Thus the Sugar Tramp Chronicles were written.