Bill Doescher will host a dinner and book signing Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale. Doescher, a former 40-year Scarsdale resident who once led the Scarsdale Historical Society, wrote a new collection on diversity and social justice with 19 contributors.

The event takes place at the Lower Children's House at the church, 6 Greenacres Ave. Tickets cost $35. Each includes a copy of the book and a light dinner. Residents can RSVP to Rev. Pete Jones, the church's senior minister, by email.

Doescher's book, "Removing Barriers: Diverse Voices Shaping Tomorrow," published by Orange Frazer Press, gathers chapters from contributors across the Scarsdale area and the country. Among them are former Scarsdale Mayor Jane Veron, Senior Rabbi Jonathan Blake of Westchester Reform Temple and Jones himself, according to Scarsdale10583, which first reported on the event Oct. 14.

Other contributors include Earl G. "Butch" Graves Jr., a former Scarsdale High School student who is president and CEO of Black Enterprise, and Rich Nightingale, president and CEO of Yonkers-based Westhab. The full roster spans local clergy, nonprofit leaders and civil rights figures.

Doescher, a self-described "octogenarian white guy" who turns 89 in December, said the book grew out of his long friendship with Rachel Robinson, the 104-year-old widow of baseball legend Jackie Robinson. Doescher served on the Jackie Robinson Foundation's board of directors for 22 years.

"The co-writers of my latest book, who are a mix of Black and white Americans, male and female, were hand-picked for their knowledge and expertise about the almost always controversial subject of diversity and for their penetrating personal stories," Doescher said, according to Scarsdale10583.

During his decades in Scarsdale, Doescher served as president of the Scarsdale Historical Society for more than seven years, chaired the Village's Ethics Committee and sat on the Board of Governors of the Scarsdale Golf Club. He also sang in Hitchcock Presbyterian Church's Chancel Choir and served as an elder there.

The book is expected on shelves and online by late October.

Doescher said he is already working on several other books.