The Catawba Tree

About the Book

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.

About the Author

Stephanie Alethia Jordy was born in New Orleans in1942.  She lived most of her life in Metairie , a suburb of New Orleans .  After graduating from a private school in Metairie in 1960, she attended the University of Mississippi , (Ole Miss), where she obtained a BAE in 1964.  She returned to Metairie and taught third grade.

In 1966, she married Harry Louis Newell and moved to the Republic of Panama where her father-in-law and step mother-in–law were living.  There, she taught school in the Panama Canal Zone, assisted her husband in setting up the American Express credit card system throughout the Republic and helped and enjoyed her in-laws' 48,000 acre Brahma breeding ranch in the interior of Panama.

In 1970 the Newells returned to Metairie and started a family…In the following years Stephanie earned a real estate license and worked for a rental company, taught nursery school and worked as a staff assistant for a United States Congressman.