Online Source: http://files.usgwarchives.org/la/lasalle/obits/do-dt-obits.txt
Extracted from The Jena Times - Olla Tullos Signal (Jena, LA)
Woodie Dosher...Famed Jena cager succumbs at age 73
Funeral services were held here Sunday for Woodie B. Dosher of Dallas, a member of some of the most memorable Jena High School basketball teams of the 1930's that always ranked among the best in the state.
Dosher, 73, died in Dallas, Thursday after a long illness. He had retired in 1980 after serving 35 years with Hughes Tool Company, stationed at various times in Ruston, Shreveport, Dallas, Enid, Okla., Fort Smith, Ark., and Warwick, Rhode Island. At the time of his retirement, Dosher was in charge of offshore drilling operations for Hughes on the east coast, stationed at Warwick.
His illustrious high school basketball career began at Jena High School in 1931, immediately following the nationally-acclaimed Jena teams of the 1920's which competed for the national high school championship in Chicago, once the runnerup to the champion Athens, Tex. The legendary Sparky Wade and Nick Medica were members of those teams.
Dosher played six years of prep basketball and was the leader of the 1936 Jena team which won the state championship at a time when there were no different classifications of teams.
Jay Paul Wade, editor and publisher of the Jena Times chronicle the 1936 team's march to the state title, starting with the championship of the Central Louisiana tourney in Pineville.
In the state tourney, the Jena team had to win five consecutive games that began with a 38-11 rout of Brusly. The second Giant victim was Istrouma of Baton Rouge, the pre-tourney favorite, in a 45-15 romp. Harris High School, the defending champ, was upended 22-16, and Jena downed Jesuit High School of New Orleans 42-30 in the semi-finals.
In the state championship contest, Jena defeated Coushatta 27-20 and Dosher and Wilfrid (Gopher) Gaharan of Jena were all-state first team selections. Dosher was chosen the team captain and was recipient of the first Sparky Wade Most Valuable Player trophy.
Other Starters on the 1936 state championship team, in addition to Dosher and Gaharan, were Frank Doughty, M.J. Haynes, and Fred (Chilli) Lees. Other squad members were Bill Hodges, Earl Doughty, John Allen, Leland Ganey, Jones Bradford and G. D. Anders. The late Dr. T. H. (Bud) Gaharan was coach of the team.
Ex-teammate Frank Doughty said that ``Woodie was just a great natural athlete. He did not have great size but he had speed, elusiveness, and desire. He could also just as well been an outstanding football player of a track star.''
Dosher also played semi-professional baseball and was awarded an athletic scholarship to Louisiana State University after completing his high school career. He was a starter on the LSU freshmen basketball team and played three varsity seasons as a guard at LSU under the late Coach Harry Rabenhorst.
Dosher joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1941 and spent five years in the military service, attaining the rank of captain.
He was employed by Hughes Tool Company in Ruston in 1946 where he spent a number of years before other assignments with the company.
Services for Dosher were held in the Kinner and Stevens chapel, with the Rev. Kerfoot Brooks and the Rev. Albert Vickers officiating. The Rev. Brooks was a basketball official at one time and officiated in many of the Jena games in which Dosher played. They were personal friends of long standing. Interment was in the Jena Cemetery.
Dosher is survived by his wife of 48 years, Hazel Wynn Dosher, a native of Sicily Island; one daughter, Kathy Wilcox of Dallas; one son, Richard Dosher of Dallas; and two sisters, Mrs. Trudie McCluer of Little Rock, and Mrs. Lydia Flowers of Jena.
Pallbearers were Charles Boyd, Donald Richardson, Pete Dosher, Doug Holladay, Robert Holladay and Joe Dosher.
Wednesday, June 13, 1990