Henry Doscher, a longtime Abilene lawyer and university professor, will be remembered as a chivalrous, charitable gentleman, according to people who knew him well.

Doscher, 87, died Friday after a long illness. Arrangements are pending at Elmwood Memorial Park and Funeral Home.

Nancy Jones, president of the Community Foundation of Abilene, recalled Doscher's generous nature and said he expected the best of everyone.

"And we tried very hard so as not to disappoint him," Jones said.

Doscher established several funds at the community foundation dating to the mid-1980s when the foundation was created.

Born Jan. 5, 1921, in Houston, Doscher grew up in Sweetwater and was a 1942 graduate of Amherst College in Amherst, Mass. After serving in the Navy during World War II, Doscher earned a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1948.

After serving as a briefing attorney for the Supreme Court of Texas, Doscher moved to Abilene and joined the firm of Wagstaff, Harwell, Wagstaff and Alvis. He eventually opened a private practice and taught business law at McMurry for 27 years. He retired in 1996 at age 75.

At one time, Doscher, A.L. Rhodes, and Don Seamster practiced law together for a few years. Seamster described Doscher as precise, cautious, and "client-sensitive."

"I think he was what a lawyer should be," Seamster said. "On top of all that, he was just a very nice man."

Johnny Cornelius, assistant professor of business administration at McMurry University, recalled working with Doscher and learning about his varied interests, including writing and playing bridge.

"He was a consummate gentleman," Cornelius recalled. "He was one of the finest individuals I have ever known."