Wally has been the recipient of many honors and awards. He gave the shirt off this 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.

He wrote his autobiography, The Famous Amos Story, The Face That Launched A Thousand Chips 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. His book, Man With No Name, Turn Lemons Into Lemonade, tells how Wally lost everything, including his name, and turned adversity into opportunity. Wally's most recent book, Watermelon Magic: Seeds of Wisdom, Slices of Life, was published in 1996 by Beyond Words Publishing. In it, he uses watermelon as a metaphor of life, sharing his personal path to wisdom, humor, joy and a positive outlook on life.

Born in Tallahassee, Florida, Wally lived there with his father and mother until he was 12. Then he went to live with his Aunt Della in her Manhattan apartment. As a senior at Food Trades High School, Wally dropped out to join the Air Force. While there, he earned his GED High School equivalency diploma. That certificate helped changed his life and made him eligible to train at a New York secretarial school after he was honorably discharged from the service.

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 & Garfunkel and the Supremes. After years in the entertainment industry, he decided to begin to sell what was then a weekend hobby - chocolate chip cookies.

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

Speech Topics Include:

• The Cookie Never Crumbles
• The Power in You
• Turn Lemons into Lemonade
• Relationships are Partnership
• A Recipe for a Successful Life
• Seeds of Wisdom, Slices of Life