Created by Sarah Brock
BIOGRAPHY
Wallace "Wally" Amos Jr. was born to Mr. and Mrs. (Ruby) Amos on July 1, 1936 in Tallahassee, Florida. His family was poor; his mother worked as a domestic servant. He lived with his parents until he was twelve years old when they divorced before moving in with his aunt in New York City. There, he spent most of his time baking cookies with his aunt.
"We certainly had no monetary wealth, but Aunt Della's home was always rich in the principles and qualities vital to a child’s upbringing. And it was filled with the aroma of her delicious chocolate chip cookies."
Eventually, Wally had developed his baking skills and attended high school specifically to study culinary arts. He later dropped out of school and took to the skies, joined the U.S. Air Force, and then landed a job in the mailroom of a talent agency, Williams Morris Agency around 1957. He is known as the first black talent agent at that agency. During his time as a talent agent, he helped Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye with their musical career and discovered the famous duo, Simon and Garfunkel.
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In 1967, Wally left Williams Morris and started his own business, Famous Amos Cookies
