I chose the title of the book because of our emotional ties to this particular tree...and because of the uniqueness of the Catawba tree, its strength, beauty and nurturing quality. The Catawba tree is the only tree whose leaves nourish the Catawba worm...fabulous fishing bait. In the spring, it bursts into a profusion of glorious white blossoms overnight. We all gravitated to the Catawba on campus, when we were sad, it had a calming effect. When we were happy, it shared our joy. It shaded us as we leaned against her sturdy trunk and read poetry aloud. The Prophet and Leaves of Gold were two of our favorites. Obviously, it made a lasting impression on me so I thought that since it had shared so many of our secrets and emotions, The Catawba Tree was an appropriate title for my book.