Wally Amos
Amos in 2007
Born	Wallace Amos Jr. (1936-07-01) July 1, 1936 (age 87) Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.
Other names	Famous Amos
Known for	Famous Amos, Learn to Read
Signature

Wallace "Wally" Amos, Jr. (born July 1, 1936) is an American television personality, entrepreneur, and author from Tallahassee, Florida. He is the founder of the Famous Amos chocolate-chip cookie, the Cookie Kahuna, and Aunt Della's Cookies gourmet cookie brands, and he was the host of the adult reading program, Learn to Read.

Early life and education

Amos was born to Wallace & Ruby Amos. He was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, until he was 12 years old. ^[1] When his parents divorced, he moved to New York City with his aunt, where he enrolled at the Food Trades Vocational High School. He showed his interest in cooking at a young age. It was from his aunt Della Bryant, who would bake cookies for him, that Amos later developed his chocolate chip cookie recipe. ^[1]

Shortly before graduation, Amos dropped out of high school to join the United States Air Force. He served at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1954 until 1957. ^[2] He earned his high school equivalency diploma ^[3] before being honorably discharged from the military.

Career

Returning to New York City, Amos went to college to become a secretary, and after graduating, took a mailroom clerk job with the William Morris Agency. ^[1] Eventually, he became the agency's first African American talent agent. He signed Simon & Garfunkel and headed the agency's rock 'n' roll department. Amos attracted clients by sending them chocolate chip cookies along with an invitation to visit him. He represented musicians such as The Temptations, Sam Cooke, and Marvin Gaye.

In 1975, a friend suggested to Amos that he set up a store to sell his cookies, and in March of that year, the first Famous Amos cookie store opened in Los Angeles, California. ^[4] He started the business with the help of a $25,000 loan from Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy. ^[5] The company began to expand, and eventually, Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies could be found on supermarket shelves across the United States. He became such a known figure culturally that he appeared as himself in the Taxi episode "Latka's Cookies", in 1981. Thanks in part to the success of his cookie company, he was hired to deliver speeches. He has written 10 books, ^[6] many of which have a self-help theme, including The Cookie Never Crumbles ^[7] and The Power in You. ^[8]

In 1979, Amos' long-time friend and publicist John Rosica introduced him to Literacy Volunteers of America. Amos has advocated literacy and helped thousands of adults learn to read. In 1987, he also hosted a television series designed to teach others how to read, entitled Learn to Read, produced by Kentucky Educational Television and WXYZ-TV. ^[9]

In 1986, Amos was awarded the Entrepreneurial Excellence Award by President Ronald Reagan at the White House Conference on Small Business. ^{[10] [11]}

Due to financial troubles, Amos was forced to sell the Famous Amos Company, and because the name "Famous Amos" was trademarked by his former company, he had to use The Uncle Noname's Cookie Company as his new company's name. ^[12] A Famous Amos distributor at the time, Lou Avignone, heard Amos on a local radio talk show and, inspired by Amos' story of his early business success with Famous Amos and his spirit, contacted Amos with the idea for starting a new business. In 1994, the two became partners and subsequently launched Uncle Noname Gourmet Muffins. The company focused on fat-free, nutritious muffins at that time. ^[13] Uncle Noname became Uncle Wally's Muffin Company in 1999. The muffins are sold in more than 3,500 stores nationwide. ^[14]

In 2014, an article in Fortune magazine lauded "The cookie comeback of 'Famous' Wally Amos" as Amos brought back his handmade cookies under a new name The Cookie Kahuna. These cookies were marketed in a store in Hawaii, where Amos was based. They come in the flavors original chocolate chip, chocolate chip with pecans and butterscotch with macadamia nuts. ^[15]

In 2019, Amos was called "the King of cookies" by NBC affiliate KSNV-TV in Las Vegas. ^[16]

In 2020, Content Media Group released a documentary on the life of Wally Amos, The Great Cookie Comeback: reBaking Wally Amos. The film was directed by Jeff MacIntyre. ^[17]

Personal life

On July 1, 1979, Amos married Christine (Harris) Amos, who later helped him design the early merchandise and packaging for Famous Amos cookies. ^[18] Wally Amos has 4 children: Michael Amos, Gregory Amos, Sarah Amos, ^[19] and musician Shawn Amos. ^[20]

Amos had lived in Hawaii from 1977 until 2018. ^{[21] [22] [23]} Amos currently resides in Columbia, South Carolina, where he was working on Aunt Della's Cookies as of 2018. ^[23]

Publications

Authored

• Amos, Wally; Robinson, Leroy (1983). The Famous Amos Story: The Face That Launched a Thousand Chips. Doubleday. ISBN  978-0385193788.
• Amos, Wally; Amos, Gregory (1988). The Power In You. Penguin Books. ISBN  978-1556110931.
• Amos, Wally; Kehret, Peg (1991). Wally Amos Presents Chip and Cookie: The First Adventure. Leslie Beaber (illustrator). Acropolis Books Inc. ISBN  978-0874919882.
• Amos, Wally; Denton, Camilla (1994). Man with No Name: Turn Lemons Into Lemonade. Aslan Pub. ISBN  978-0944031575.
• Amos, Wally; Murray, Eden-Lee (2002). The Cookie Never Crumbles: Practical Recipes for Everyday Living. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN  978-0312304980.
• Amos, Wally (2006). Be Positive! Insights On How To Live An Inspiring And Joy Filled Life. Blue Mountain Press. ISBN  978-1598420685.
• Amos, Wally; Glauberman, Stu (2006). Live an Inspiring Life: 10 Secret Ingredients for Inner Strength. Blue Mountain Arts, Inc. ISBN  978-1598421675.
• Amos, Wally; Glauberman, Stu (2006). The Power of Self-Esteem. Blue Mountain Arts Inc. ISBN  978-1598421705.
• Amos, Wally; Glauberman, Stu (2008). Watermelon Magic: Seeds Of Wisdom, Slices Of Life. Jack Canfield (foreword). Atria Books/Beyond Words. ISBN  978-1416598534.
• Amos, Wally; Glauberman, Stu (2008). The Path to Success Is Paved with Positive Thinking: How to Live a Joy-Filled Life and Make Your Dreams Come True. Blue Mountain Arts Inc. ISBN  978-1598422573.
• Amos, Wally (2010). Watermelon Credo: The Book. Suzanne Hallerman (illustration).

Contributions

Books

• Thomas, R. David; Walton, Sam (1993). Higher Than the Top: What Do These People Have In Common? They Dynamic Faith. Dave Thomas, Orville Redenbacher, Wally Amos, Gayle Miller, Bill Bowerman. Dimensions for Living. ISBN  978-0687170029.
• Hansen, Mark Victor; Amos, Wally; Tracy, Brian (2002). Mission Possible!: Volume One. Insight Publishing Company. ISBN  978-1885640840.
• Cathy, S. Truett; Tracy, Brian; Amos, Wally (2003). Conversations on Success. Insight Publishing. ISBN  978-1885640123.
• Dunston, Marc (2010). The Magic of Giving (children's book). Katie Cantrell (illustrator), Wally Amos (foreword). Pelican. ISBN  978-1589808058.

Audio books

• Amos, Wally (1998). Let Go, Let God (Audio book). Unity School of Christianity. ISBN  978-0871598424.
• Amos, Wally (2001). Faith: Inspirational Messages (Audio book). ISBN  978-0871598677.

Filmography

References

External links

• Famous Amos Cookies
• Uncle Wally's