Adolph Levis

Adolph "Al" Levis (1913 – March 20, 2001) 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.

Career Levis was a violinist, but his musical career was unsuccessful, as was an attempt as a tobacconist. Besides selling spices, In the 1940s, he and his brother-in-law/partner, Joseph Cherry, hired a meatpacker to develop a handheld dried meat stick. 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.