Wallace “Wally” Amos, Jr., founding father of the “Famous Amos” cookies identified and beloved nationwide, died at 88 on Wednesday, his household mentioned.
The American entrepreneur died peacefully at his house along with his spouse Carol by his aspect after a battle with dementia, Amos’ youngsters, Sarah, Michael, Gregory and Shawn, mentioned in an announcement.
Born in Tallahassee, Florida, Amos constructed his model from one bakery in 1975 in Hollywood, California, and a household recipe.
“Our dad inspired a generation of entrepreneurs,” his youngsters mentioned, including, “With his Panama hat, kazoo, and boundless optimism, Famous Amos was a great American success story, and a source of Black pride. It’s also part of our family story for which we will forever be grateful and proud.”
AP / Mark Foley
“Big was in, but Wally Amos dared to go small and perfected the ultimate bite-size chocolate chip cookie,” the model’s web site says. After that, Amos and his cookies grew to become a Hollywood success story. “Iconic musicians and other Hollywood celebrities began singing the praises of the delicious cookies from a small bakery on Sunset,” the web site says.
In his later years, Amos grew to become a proprietor of a cookie store known as Chip & Cookie in Hawaii, the place he moved in 1977, the Related Press reported. He was additionally a co-founder of Uncle Wally’s Muffin Co., whose merchandise are additionally present in shops nationwide.
However Amos mentioned the celebrity by no means actually mattered a lot to him. “Being famous is highly overrated anyway,” Amos advised The Related Press in 2007.
Wally’s son Shawn, a blues musician and writer, helped create the primary store in Hollywood along with his father. Shawn Amos’ e-book, “Cookies and Milk,” printed in 2022, is predicated partly on his experiences rising up because the son of the Well-known Amos founder.
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Assortment through Getty Photos
“It’s a book about joy, it’s a book about fathers and sons who want to be seen by each other,” he mentioned on “CBS Mornings.”
Shawn mentioned he labored the entrance of the shop whereas his father baked cookies within the again.
Amos’ youngsters praised their father for instructing them the worth of onerous work, believing in themselves, and chasing their desires. “He was a true original Black American hero,” they mentioned of their assertion.
Amos was additionally an energetic promoter of studying. He wrote eight books, served as spokesperson for Literacy Volunteers of America for twenty-four years and delivered motivational talks to firms, universities and different teams, AP reported. His volunteerism earned him the Nationwide Literacy Award, which was introduced to him by President George H.W. Bush in 1991, in response to AP.
“Your greatest contribution to your country is not your signature straw hat in the Smithsonian, but the people you have inspired to learn to read,” Bush mentioned.
