Jack E. Scholl, 80; helped lead his family’s foot-care company

Jack E. Scholl, 80, who helped lead his family’s pioneering foot-care company as it went public in the 1970s, died Monday at his home in Northbrook, Ill. His family did not specify the cause of death.

Scholl was the nephew of Dr. William Mathias Scholl, the famous Chicago footwear pioneer who began making and selling orthopedic products in the early 1900s.

When he died in 1968, Jack Scholl was named head of the company’s U.S. headquarters, and his cousin, William H. Scholl, took over its European operations.

Dr. Scholl’s went public under their leadership in 1971. Eight years later, it was sold to Schering-Plough Health Care Products. William H. Scholl died in March 2002.

Jack Scholl, who was born in Michigan City, Ind., served in the Navy during World War II. In 1980 he became executive director of the Dr. Scholl Foundation, a philanthropic organization.