Read It Loud! Savannah

"Reading aloud is a child's first subject. A parent is a child's first teacher and reading aloud is Early Childhood Development." – Wally Amos

Wally Amos is the creator of the Read It Loud! Savannah literacy initiative. Today Wally serves as the Read It Loud! Savannah campaign’s official spokesperson and a member of its Board of Advisors.

Through his involvement with the Read It Loud! Savannah campaign and his Read It LOUD! Foundation, Wally works passionately throughout the United States to promote the importance and benefits of reading aloud to children.

Although Savannahians consider Wally – in his trademark watermelon hat – to be one of their most loved celebrities, Wally and his wife Christine reside in Hawaii. Hawaii is also home to Wally and Christine’s “Chip and Cookie” store and Chip and Cookie internet sales headquarters.

As founder of Famous Amos Cookies in 1975 and father of the gourmet chocolate chip cookie industry, Wally has used his fame to support educational causes. Since 1979 Wally has been National Spokesperson for Literacy Volunteers of America. He is also a Board Member of the National Center for Family Literacy and Communities in Schools.

Wally Amos Reading

Wally has been the recipient of many honors and awards. He gave the shirt off his 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. In his latest book, “Watermelon Magic: Seeds of Wisdom, Slices of Life”, Wally uses the watermelon as a metaphor for 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. Wally dropped out of high school to join the Air Force. After the service he returned to New York, where he earned his GED, attended secretarial school and went to work. 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, Wally decided to turn his weekend hobby – making chocolate chip cookies – into a business venture. As they say, "the rest is history."