PHIL SOKOLOF

Class of 1939
​Inducted in 1989

Phil was inducted into the SHSAA Hall of Fame in 1990.

Phil Sokolof went into home building several years after high school and found a way to produce certain construction components less expensively and started making them himself. In 1955, he founded the Phillips Manufacturing Company.

After a heart attack at age 43, Phil turned into a national evangelist of a low-cholesterol diet and started National Heart Savers Association not long after. That non-profit was America's #1 Cholesterol Fighter from 1985 to 2004 offering the latest in cholesterol and heart-health information. Phil is regarded as the catalyst of the revolution against high-fat foods. Heart Savers' unique organization does not solicit contributions. Sokolof has spent over $15 million of his personal funds to make the public aware of the dangers of high cholesterol. His victories are many. He is credited with successfully lobbying Congress to pass the bill which brings you the "Nutrition Facts" labels on packaged foods.

His organization's tests of cholesterol levels helped to push Congress into proclaiming a National Know Your Cholesterol Month and to persuade food processors to cut down on highly saturated coconut and palm oils. It is also credited with helping to pass legislation strengthening requirements for listing cholesterol content on food labels.

Phil passed away in 2004 at the age of 82.