Wally Amos

Biography

Today, he is an icon and his name is a household word. As founder of Famous Amos Cookies in 1975 and father of the gourmet chocolate chip cookie industry, he has used his fame to support educational causes.

Since 1979 Wally has been National Spokesman for Literacy Volunteers of America, which is now called ProLiteracy Worldwide. He is also a Board Member of the National Center for Family Literacy and Communities in Schools. His latest enterprise is Uncle Wally's, which produces a premium line of gourmet muffins.

On the lecture circuit, he addresses audiences at corporations, industry associations and universities with his inspiring "do it" positive attitude.

Wally Amos has been the recipient of many honors and awards. He gave the shirt off his back and his battered Panama hat to the Smithsonian Institution’s Business Americana Collection. Dr. Amos received an Honorary Doctorate in Education from Johnson & Wales University. He has been inducted into the Babson College Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs, and he received the Horatio Alger Award, The President’s Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, and The National Literacy Honors Award.

Wally is also an author. He wrote his autobiography, The Famous Amos Story: The Face That Launched A Thousand Chips, published by Doubleday in 1983. He collaborated with his son, Gregory, on The Power In You: Ten Secret Ingredients To Inner Strength, a hopeful, inspirational book sharing Wally’s philosophy and life experiences, published by Donald I. Fine, in 1988. His book, Man With No Name: Turn Lemons Into Lemonade, published by Aslan press in 1994, tells how Wally lost everything, including his name, and turned adversity into opportunity. Wally’s book, Watermelon Magic: Seeds of Wisdom, Slices of Life, published in 1996 by Beyond Publishing, uses watermelon as a metaphor for life, sharing his personal path to wisdom, humor, joy and a positive outlook on life. His most recent book, The Cookie Never Crumbles is indeed a cookbook, but instead of edibles, Wally offers recipes for life--specifically recipes for the successes you can whip up in your own life, if you have the right ingredients!

Over the years, Amos has acted in a number of network sitcoms and appeared on hundreds of interview shows and news programs. He is TV teacher/host of 50 episodes of state-of-the-art programs for adult basic learners that air on PBS stations nationally. He has acted as product spokesman for several prominent corporations, including Hush Puppies, United Airlines and the California Egg Board.

Amos was born in Tallahassee, Florida and lived there with his father and mother until he was twelve. Then, he went to live with his Aunt Della in her Manhattan apartment. As a senior at Food Trades Vocational High School, Wally dropped out to join the Air Force. In the Air Force, he earned his GED High School Equivalency Diploma. That certificate helped change his life. The GED Diploma made him eligible to train at a New York secretarial school after he was honorably discharged from the Air Force.

In every job, Wally always started at the bottom and worked his way to the top. Ultimately, he was hired by the William Morris Talent Agency where he represented Simon & Garfunkle and The Supremes. After years in the entertainment industry, he decided to begin selling what was then a weekend hobby-- chocolate chip cookies.

As they say, "the rest is history." Now, Wally Amos is known by over 150 million Americans. His fame is grounded in quality, substance and a unique, positive mental attitude.

Publications

The 'seeds and wisdom and slices of live' presented in this gentle guide uses watermelons as a metaphor for life. Here Amos shares his personal insights on wisdom and humor, telling how to develop joy in living and how to rethink challenging positions in positive terms. Plenty of case history examples are included.

Titles

The Power in You
Turn Lemons Into Lemonade
Recipe for A Successful Life
Watermelon Magic - Seeds of Wisdom, Slices of Life