In 1967 Amos decided to leave William Morris to manage the career of South African trumpeter Hugh Masakela. Part of his responsibilities included booking acts such as the Temptations, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, and Bobby Goldsboro, and he is even given credit for signing a then-unknown duo named Simon & Garfunkel. His good nature and solid work habits soon helped him to advance, and he was eventually named the company ’s first black agent. In the early 1960s Amos took a job in the mail room at the William Morris Talent Agency. ’ If you believe that, you ’ll never move forward. Somebody did something to me that paralyzed me for life. president Ronald Reagan, 1986 Horatio Alger Association citation, 1987.Īddress: Office -c/o Uncle Nonam é Cookie Company, 984252 Pupuole St., Waipahu, HI 96797. Selected awards: Presidential Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, U.S. Spokesman for Literacy Volunteers of America board member, Cities in Schools, Inc. Famous Amos Cookie Corporation, San Francisco, CA, president, 1975 –85, vice chairman, 1985 –89 Wally Amos Presents … Chip & Cookie, president, 1990 –92 Uncle Nonam é Cookie Company, Honolulu, HI president, 1993. William Morris Co., New York, NY, 1959 –67, began as mail clerk, became executive vice president, talent agent for Simon & Garfunkel, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Dionne Warwick, and Patti LaBelle, among others entertainment manager, Los Angeles, CA, 1972 –75, clients included Franklin Ajaye, Abby Lincoln, and Oscar Brown Jr. Education: Earned high school equivalency. At a Glance …īorn July 1, 1937, in Tallahassee, FL married, wife ’s name Christine four children. But the reason is that they ’ve told themselves they can ’t. “There are people who convince themselves that they can ’t do anything with their lives because of what ’s happened to them -and they ’re right. “You have to focus on what you can do, ” he said. Still, Amos said, he had confidence that he could make his way in the world. Growing up poor in the segregated South, he faced adult responsibilities at an early age. The affable Amos recalled in Parade that he had numerous obstacles to overcome on his long road to success. He was thus able to support his first wife and two small children.
He worked dilligently, eventually becoming manager of the supply department at the ritzy store. His first job after the military was in the stockroom at Sak ’s Fifth Avenue. Upon discharge from the service, Amos attended secretarial school, learning shorthand, typing, and accounting skills. ”Īfter spending several years in New York City, Amos dropped out of high school to join the U.S. I think it ’s bordering on being fanatical.
“I have a fetish for chocolate chip cookies, ” Amos admitted in Ebony magazine. She loved to cook, and she lavished the youngster with her special chocolate chip cookies. After the breakup of the family, he was sent to live with his Aunt Della in New York City. Money was so scarce for him and his family that he often had to walk four miles to and from school to save the bus fare. He was bom in Tallahassee, Florida, and grew up there until his parents divorced when he was 12. ”Īmos ’s self-professed love affair with the chocolate chip cookie began in his childhood. The man who once called himself “the face that launched a thousand chips ” told Parade magazine of his new company: “It ’s still me -the best Wally Amos I can be. ” Today Amos is no longer involved with the “Famous Amos ” cookies found in most supermarkets and many vending machines, but he has begun a whole new gourmet cookie venture, the Uncle Nonam é Cookie Company. A Newsweek correspondent called him the “progenitor of the upscale cookie ” and “the greatest cookie salesman alive.
Almost overnight the effervescent Amos became a minor celebrity, both for the quality of his product and his enthusiasm for its promotion. In the 1970s Amos founded the Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Corporation, the very first gourmet cookie business to attract a national following. For Wally Amos, success has had a very sweet smell, indeed.
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