Dr. Scholl not only was an actual person, he created the company which bears his name and all its products. However, he was born, raised, and is now buried in his native La Porte, Indiana. Dr. Scholl though made his products for many years in Chicago, Illinois, where he died in 1986. According to an obituary written in the Washington Post on march 31, 1968, he was 1 of 13 children. He worked his way through Loyola University and then later graduated from the Chicago Medical School. The medical degree is a matter of discussion as to it's validity as pointed out in other reports printed by various newspapers. By 1905, Dr. Scholl was manufacturing and selling various foot products under the Dr. Scholl product name (which he patented by then), as well as his first arch support, which he also patented. During his life he developed over 1,000 foot aids. The article went on to point out he had an uncanny ability to remember the foot sizes of many patients over the years. His comfort shops that he opened went on to become a world-wide chain. The New York Times wrote on March 30, 1968, that he used clever ways to get folks interested in some of his products. One such way was by pulling the bones of a foot from his pocket and describing how it worked and how foot problems happened. He would close the story by showing one of his products and how it worked to ease the problem areas of the foot. The Times told of how he worked as a shoe salesman while also working his way through medical school. He began making studies about how so many people of the times did not walk correctly and how he felt this could be corrected. He was intrigued by the various problems and ailments folks had with their feet. He wrote a book in 1915 about the anatomy and proper care of human feet. He practiced his foot-care in Chicago until about 1950 when he became more involved with the daily operations of the Scholl Manufacturing Company, then a huge facility in Chicago. He traveled extensively according to the New York Times and they reported that he was on the maiden flights of both the Graf Zeppelin and the Hindenburg. Shortly after his death, his company was purchased by a large corporation and moved to an area near Memphis Tennessee. But to this day, Dr. Scholl products are still seen around the world.

Note: several newspapers such as the Chicago Sun-Times and the Baltimore Sun, as well as the two above, each supplied numerous articles, each containing background information. The La Porte County Historical Society though confirmed that he is indeed buried back in La Porte.

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William was one of four children of Peter Scholl's second wife, Clara Hannah (1853-1884) Peter had three wives and 13 children.William's siblings (from Clara Hannah) were: Barbara S. Scholl (1878-1964), Peter Scholl (1880-1922) and Frank John Scholl (1884-1967).His half-brother from his step mother Amelia Eva Webber (1848-1875) was Joseph W. Scholl (1872-1935).His half-siblings from his step mother Ella Willemina Lusso (1870-1951) were John Scholl (1889-1966), Clara L Scholl (1891-1940), Edward Louis Scholl (1893-1977), Leo Martin Scholl (1895-1977), Frederick Anthony Scholl (1898-1983), Herbert H Scholl (1901-1979), Carl M Scholl (1906-1977) and Kathryn Suzanne Scholl (1906-1997).