Charles Scarborough, 80: 'Fierce warrior' in court, 'gentleman' and UT fan outside

Billy Boone called Charles Scarborough a "great lawyer."

In the courtroom, he was, like the Scarboroughs before him, a "fierce warrior."

"He'd battle you forever," Boone said.

That fact presented as evidence, Boone chose to address the "jury" about the late attorney's character.

"When he stepped out of the courtroom, Charles was one of the most gracious men you'll ever meet," Boone said. "He was a gentleman. He was very humble and caring."

Boone, who first met Scarborough in 1980, paused, becoming emotional while remembering his friend

"The most important thing to me ... Charles was what most of us strive to be. He was very gracious, very caring and very personable," Boone said. "It didn't matter who you were or your station in life, when Charles met you he cared about you."

That love extended to Abilene and the legal profession, Boone said.

"And to people in general," he said. Those traits, Boone said, "will be greatly missed."

A native Abilenian, Scarborough died April 30. He would have turned 81 on May 12.

The two brothers

Charles Scarborough's funeral service was Thursday at Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, where he was a lifelong member and president of St. John's Episcopal School from 1974-76.

His death followed that of his brother March 1. Frank Scarborough, also an AHS and UT graduate, was 84.

"Charles and Frank were men of high integrity," attorney Steve Suttle said. "You could take their word for anything and rely on it. In the legal profession, that's one of the highest accolades you can have, particularly from your peers."

Charles Scarborough's resumé includes serving as president of the Abilene Young Lawyers Association and the Abilene Bar Association. He was director of the State Bar of Texas and a founding member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

He was a criminal and civil attorney.

Boone said Scarborough, who argued local cases and in state and federal courtrooms, provided a great example for young attorneys.

"He was a person that a young lawyer ought to strive to be like," Boone said. "He was smart, smart, smart. He had the knowledge to handle those cases."

Both Charles and Frank Scarborough "went out of their way to help young lawyers," he said. "As a young lawyer, if you didn't know how to do something, you could pick up the phone and call. And they'd help you. There was a mentoring process back when I started in 1980. "

As for community service, Scarborough was the first president of the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, president of the Abilene Exchange Club and a board member of Abilene Community Theatre.

A family tradition

The Scarborough brothers followed the family courthouse tradition.

Their grandfather and law firm founder, Dallas Scarborough, was Abilene's 12th mayor, serving from 1919-23. Scarborough Park in west Abilene is named for him and his wife, Mozelle.

Former longtime Reporter-News staff writer Roy Jones, a graduate of the University of Texas, said the first time Tarpley went to the courthouse with Dallas Scarborough, she spied the butt of a pistol in his briefcase.

"She knew she was in for a wild ride," Jones recalled.

He practiced law until his death in 1957.

Charles Scarborough also worked until his death. Boone was working with him recently. Although his friend's health was failing and it was clear that he was in pain, Boone said, he did not talk about his ills but asked how Boone's family was fairing.

"I would ask him, 'How are you doing?' He would brush that off ... and ask about my family," Boone said.

"It wasn't about him; it was about you," Boone said. "He made everyone feel that way."

Dallas Scarborough's son, Davis, continued the family tradition and is known for hiring the city's first female attorney, Beverly Tarpley. She successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court at age 27 — the first Texas woman and youngest attorney to do so.

Jones called Davis Scarborough a conservative, but wasn't talking about politics.

The attorney was known for filing papers using the backs of legal pads and would walk from his office in the Alexander Building to the courthouse.

From this tradition came Charles and Frank.

"That group believed the practice of law was a noble and honorable profession," Boone said.

Suttle, who came to Abilene in 1967, a year after Scarborough, said the brothers differed in their demeanors — Frank was more of an A-personality, "more aggressive."

Charles was a B, "calm and laidback," Suttle said. "But focused all the time. He was not someone who became excited or was excitable. He stayed focused on the case and the trial of it. I don't think Charles would raise his voice to anyone."

Boone laughed when comparing the two brothers.

"Frank was a little more boisterous, more flamboyant," he said. Having a few cases with Davis Scarborough, Boone said the family trait was being fierce in the court, "but as soon as you walked out, they were gentlemen."

Boone said the brothers continued the family firm, though Frank Scarborough left briefly, then returned.

"Frank had a similar heart" as his brother, Boone said. "Charles and Frank were highly respected for their legal abilities."

A football fan, too

It was not all work and no play.

Charles Scarborough, a 1949 Abilene High grad, commenced as an undergraduate from the University of Texas in 1963 and earned his law degree there in 1966. Jones said his the attorney-to-be's blood changed in Austin from red to burnet orange.

Jones and Scarborough had season tickets from 1966 until the 2021 season.

Jones said his fellow Longhorns fan was adept at studying the opponents and analyzing their weaknesses, much like a coach.

"He was excited as a kid in a candy store when I would take him to visit the T Room," Jones said. The T Room is a lounge for Texas letterman - Jones lettered as a team manager for the 1963 national title team - and their guests.

There, Scarborough met legendary coach Darrell Royal and running back Earl Campbell.

"I don't think he ever washed his hands again," Jones joked about shaking hands with two UT greats.

Suttle said the Scarborough boys were "very intense" when it came to football. He enjoyed trips with Charles Scarborough to South Texas to hunt deer.

"We were just young lawyers," he said of their adventures.

Scarborough was pictured in the Reporter-News in 1977 with a 180-pound white-tailed deer he took in Hidalgo County.

The political side

Cathy Ashby, president and CEO of United Way of Abilene, said she first met Charles Scarborough in 1979, when as a student at Hardin-Simmons University she volunteered to work for the Jimmy Carter re-election campaign.

Scarborough was what Suttle called a "faithful Democrat."

Scarborough chaired the Democratic Party of Taylor County when, Boone said, Democrats were more like today's Republican.

"The '60s and '70s Democrats were conservative, fiscally responsible," he said.

A 1972 story in the Reporter-News identified Scarborough as one of three delegates headed to Miami for the party's national convention.

Both attorneys said politics were not discussed much.

Ashby said she found Scarborough to be a "great humanitarian who loved big - his family, his community, his friends and his church."

She echoed the sentiments of attorneys Boone and Suttle, saying Scarborough "made each person feel valued and appreciated."

The lawyers did not mention "the magical and mischievous twinkle of his eyes," that Ashby said she saw.

They more appreciated his civility.

"If we had more Charles Scarboroughs in this world," Boone said, "this world would be a much better place."

Greg Jaklewicz is editor of the Abilene Reporter-News and general columnist. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Charles Scarborough, 80: 'Fierce warrior' in court, 'gentleman' outside