Alumnus Pediatrician Credits SLU Jesuit for Medical Career
Foote Scholarship Fund Honors Burton Sokoloff's Mentor
Near the end of the first month of school, Burton Sokoloff (Med '58) was called out of class by Edward T. Foote, S.J., the assistant dean of SLU's School of Medicine. Sokoloff was sure Foote was going to tell him that he had flunked out.
"Instead, Father informed me that all the students and faculty acknowledged and celebrated their religious holidays and that I was not to be an exception," Sokoloff recalled.
Foote sent Sokoloff to Temple to celebrate the highest of the Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
This was just one of the ways Foote influenced the SLU alumnus. In fact, Sokoloff gives so much credit for his medical career to Foote that he established an honorific scholarship in the priest's name to help medical school students.
Sokoloff had always wanted to be a doctor. Growing up, his father, a post office clerk, bought him books that inspired his interest in medicine and health care. Unfortunately, his dream was beyond their financial reach. Instead, Sokoloff decided to seek a career in public health, even as his desire to become a physician continued to grow.
Focus on Faith
In 1954, Sokoloff finally decided to apply to medical schools. During his interview at SLU, Sokoloff met with Foote for more than three hours, discussing everything from the principles of osmosis to the significance of the "Golden Rule."
Much to Sokoloff 's relief, religion was not a major topic of discussion because, at that time, he was not overly knowledgeable about his own religion, Judaism, let alone Catholicism.
However, after Foote pulled Sokoloff out of class to go to Temple, it was clear that faith was an integral part of a medical education at SLU.
Sokoloff was impressed that this focus on faith was not limited to the Church and that SLU was so inclusive.
"Father laughed one year as my wife, Marilyn, the only Jewish wife in the class, played the role of Mary in the annual Christmas play.
Fulfilling a Dream
Sokoloff fulfilled his dream to become a doctor in 1958 when he graduated from SLU School of Medicine. After serving as chief of preventive medicine in the U.S. Army Air Defense Center for three years, he completed a residency in pediatrics at UCLA-Cedars and entered private practice.
Honoring a Mentor
In 1973, Sokoloff and his wife created the Edward T. Foote, S.J., Scholarship Fund to assist caring sophomore-, junior- or senior-level medical students in need of financial assistance. The Sokoloffs have continued to support this fund for the past 23 years. They also named their first born son Edward, after Foote.
Living the Mission
Sokoloff, who now is retired and lives in Tarzana, Calif., with his wife, said that the Jesuit teachings he learned while at SLU helped guide him through life. In addition to enjoying a successful private practice as a pediatrician, he was, and still is, very dedicated to the care of foster children and related issues.
He has spent time in Guatemala and Vietnam caring for young children. His experiences in those countries moved him to become involved with congressional hearings pleading for improvements and assistance to devastated countries.
Foote died in 1975 on Sokoloff's birthday.
"The holy card from his funeral sits on my desk to remind me that this individual at Saint Louis University School of Medicine had not only miraculously changed my life, giving me an opportunity to achieve my dreams and goals, but he also had indirectly improved the lives and health and welfare of perhaps thousands of children," Sokoloff said.