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August 21, 2024
Founder of Famous Amos Cookies Passes
Wallace
“Wally” Amos
Created Empire
(AP) Wallace “Wally” Amos, the cre-
ator of the cookie empire that took his
name and made it famous and who went
on to become a children’s literacy advo-
cate, has died. He was 88.
Amos created the Famous Amos cook-
ie empire and eventually lost ownership
of the company — as well as the rights
to use the catchy Amos name. In his later
years, he became a proprietor of a cook-
ie shop called Chip & Cookie in Hawaii,
where he moved in 1977.
He died Tuesday at his home in Ho-
nolulu, with his wife, Carol, at his side,
his children said. He died from compli-
cations with dementia, they said.
“With his Panama hat, kazoo, and
boundless optimism, Famous Amos was
a great American success story, and a
source of Black pride,” said a statement
from his children, Sarah, Michael, Greg-
ory and Shawn Amos.
He was married six times to five wom-
en, son Shawn said, explaining that he
and Carol had split up, reacquainted and
then remarried.
They said their dad “inspired a gener-
ation of entrepreneurs when he founded
the world’s first cookie store” on Sunset
Boulevard in Los Angeles in 1975.
He had been stationed in Hawaii with
the Air Force, and Famous Amos gave
him the means to later make it his home.
While Wally Amos was a great pro-
motor, he struggled as a businessperson
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Wally Amos, of Kailua, Hawaii, is shown
in his home office June 12, 2007, in
the Lanikai section of Kailua, Hawaii.
Amos, the creator of the cookie empire
that took his name and made it famous
and who went on to become a children’s
literacy advocate, has died at age 88,
on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/
Lucy Pemoni, File)
and eventually lost control of the com-
pany. He walked away from it because
he didn’t want to just be its face, Sarah
Amos said.
Later losing the business and the right
to use his name was deeply painful and
personal, Shawn Amos said: “The re-
mainder of his life and the remainder of
his professional pursuits were attempts to
get him to, you know, reclaim that space.”
Wally Amos was also co-founder of
Uncle Wally’s Muffin Co., whose prod-
ucts are found in stores nationwide. But
Amos said the fame never really mat-
tered much to him.
“Being famous is highly overrated
anyway,” Amos told The Associated
Press in 2007.
His muffin company, based in Shirley,
N.Y., was originally founded as Uncle
Noname Cookie Co. in 1992, a few years
after Amos lost Famous Amos, which
still widely uses his name on its products.
Amos had said the Famous Amos
cookies sold today are unlike his cook-
ies, which had lots of chocolate, real but-
ter and pure vanilla extract.
“You can’t compare a machine-made
cookie with handmade cookie,” he told
the AP. “It’s like comparing a Rolls
Royce with a Volkswagen.”
Uncle Noname, however, foundered
because of debt and problems with its
contracted manufacturers.
The company filed for bankruptcy in
1996, abandoned cookies and went into
muffins at the suggestion of Amos’ busi-
ness partner, Lou Avignone.
Inside his now-shuttered Hawaii cook-
ie shop, he sold bite-sized cookies simi-
lar to the ones he first sold at the Famous
Amos Hollywood store.
Amos also was active in promoting
reading. His shop, for example, had a
reading room with dozens of donated
books, and Amos usually spent Satur-
days sitting on a rocking chair, wearing a
watermelon hat, reading to children.
Amos earned numerous honors for
his volunteerism, including the Literacy
Award presented by President George
H.W. Bush in 1991.
“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 said.
In one of his books, “Man With No
Name: Turn Lemons Into Lemonade,”
Amos explained how he lost Famous
Amos even before it was sold for $63
million to a Taiwanese company in 1991.
Despite robust sales, by 1985, the busi-
ness was losing money, so Amos brought
in outside investors.
“The new owners gobbled up more of
my share until all of a sudden, I found I had
lost all ownership in the company I found-
ed,” Amos wrote. Before long, the compa-
ny had changed ownership four times.
Sarah Amos said that after parting
ways with Famous Amos, he stopped
baking for about two years. After redis-
covering a love of baking, he launched
the Hawaii business, Chip & Cookie,
in 1991.
Born in Tallahassee, Florida, Amos
moved to New York City at age 12 be-
cause of his parents’ divorce. He lived
with an aunt, Della Bryant, who taught
him how to make chocolate chip cookies.
He later dropped out of high school to
join the Air Force before working as a mail-
room clerk at the William Morris Agency,
where he became a talent agent, working
with The Supremes, Simon & Garfun-
kel and Marvin Gaye before borrowing
$25,000 to launch his cookie business.
He was the first Black agent in the
business, Shawn Amos, said.
“The first time we made cookies with
our kids, it sort of sunk in, this is actually
a family thing,” Shawn said. “It’s a gift
he gave us. It’s part of our heritage.
Self Enhancement, Inc. Announces New CEO
Continued from Front
annually, providing critical resources that
enhance every aspect of a student's life.
Over the years, SEI has developed from
a youth-serving basketball camp into the
largest Black-led human services organi-
zation in the State of Oregon. SEI plays a
critical role in maintaining Jefferson High
School's presence in the community and
now boasts two buildings, five properties
used for low-income housing programs,
replication of the SEI model in Miami, FL
and Atlanta, GA.
Tony's contributions to education and
social entrepreneurship have been wide-
ly recognized. He has received numerous
awards locally and nationally, including
the national "Points of Light" award, Ur-
ban League of Portland's "Equal Oppor-
tunity Award," the Black United Fund's
"Legacy Award," and the "Distinguished
Service Award" from the University of
Oregon. He has also been a prominent
advocate for underserved youth at nation-
al forums such as the Harvard School of
Education and the Boston College Educa-
tion Roundtable. Under his leadership, Self
Enhancement, Inc. was the recipient of the
federal Promise Neighborhood Initiative
grant award of over $28 million, which
fosters partnerships between students and
families, community partners, schools, lo-
cal government, and businesses.
Tony's legacy is defined by his relentless
passion for addressing the educational and
social challenges faced by children of color
and those living in poverty. His work has
made a profound impact not only in Port-
land, but also on a national scale. To honor
his legacy, the Center for Self Enhance-
ment is being renamed the Tony Hopson,
Sr. Center for Self Enhancement.
Trent Aldridge is taking the helm as
CEO after a national search through Mo-
tus Recruiting and approval from the SEI
Board of Directors. Previously serving as
SEl's Chief Program Officer, Trent is an
expert in developing potential and is an
avid supporter of innovation. For the past
20 plus years, Trent's accomplishments
include leading SEl's Pamplin Leadership
Program, expanding SEl's SUN commu-
nity presence from serving four public
schools to 18 campuses, and oversight of
$25M+ operating budgets. As Chief Pro-
gram Officer, Trent directed five depart-
ments, 24 service sites, and 225 full- and
part-time staff. In addition to his invaluable
contributions to SEI as an organization,
Trent has mentored hundreds of SEI stu-
dents and staff, helping them realize their
full potential. Many of his mentees have
gone on to become leaders within SEI and
in major companies and service organiza-
tions across the region.
Trent was raised in Portland, Oregon
by a single mother. He attended Portland
Public Schools, graduating from Benson
High School. He then went on to Portland
State University to study Communica-
tions and Black Studies. Trent is a devot-
ed family man and tech enthusiast, who
learned from his mother, a Portland Public
Schools teacher, the importance of pour-
ing into his community.
"I am humbled and honored to continue
the incredible legacy that Tony Hopson,
Sr. has built," said Trent Aldridge. "SEI
has been a pillar of strength and support
in our community, and I am dedicated to
furthering our mission and expanding our
impact. Together, we will continue to cre-
ate positive change and provide hope for
future generations."
Tony expressed his confidence in Trent's
leadership, stating, "Trent has been an in-
tegral part of SEl's success. His innovative
approach and deep commitment to our
mission make him the perfect person to
lead SEI into the future. I am excited to see
the continued growth and impact of SEI
under his leadership."