Adolph Levis


Adolph "Al" Levis was an American businessman and philanthropist known as the inventor of the Slim Jim jerky snack food.

Early life

Levis was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into a Jewish family. He was a high school dropout, having quit school to earn a living during the Great Depression.

Career

Levis was a violinist, but his musical career was unsuccessful, as was an attempt as a tobacconist. Besides selling spices, he and his brother pickled meat and vegetable products such as pickles, cabbage, and pig's feet in his garage which they sold to Philadelphia taverns. In the 1940s, he and his brother-in-law/partner, Joseph Cherry, hired a meatpacker to develop a handheld dried meat stick. The snack was originally named Penn Rose

Personal life

Levis and his wife Rose had two daughters, Judy and Barbara. In 1972 Al and Rose Levis moved to Pompano Beach, Florida, then Delray Beach, Florida.
After his professional success, Levis established himself as a philanthropist, assisting over 35 organizations worldwide. Among his primary philanthropic interests were Jewish organizations and charities as well as those involved in the care and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. He donated more than $3.5 million to the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County; a $2 million gift provided the initial support for what became the Adolph and Rose Levis Jewish Community Center in Boca Raton, Florida, established in 1983. He donated an additional $1 million for the care of adults with Alzheimer's and dementia.
He died at age 89 in hospice in Boca Raton. He was survived by his two daughters, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.