Amos talks about being Famous
Cookie company founder discusses how celebrities have unique power to help others
By JENNIFER LOUISE BRANDT
Staff Writer
Walter Amos, who started
Famous Amos Cookies in the 1970s, said enthusiasm has been the key to his
success Thursday night in front of about 50 people. Sponsored by Program
Board, the talk took place in Davis Auditorium in the School of
Gerontology.
Although Amos dropped out
of high school, he has become a successful business man, receiving a
doctorate and many other awards from various universities and
entrepreneurial academies.
"If you have anything at
all, have enthusiasm," Amos said. "Enthusiasm is the key to success in all
that we do, and without it, we will fail."
The small audience provided
an intimate setting for Amos to share his life experiences and bits of
philosophy without a prepared speech. He also opened the floor to many
questions.
"Life has a way of really
positioning you so that ultimately you do that which you are destined to
do," he said.
As Amos alternated from
Confucius-style statements to light-hearted talk, audience members laughed
as he created a rhythm by tapping on his microphone.
Amos has published three
books and is the national spokesman for Literacy Volunteers. He was born in
Tallahassee, Fla., and when he was 12 he moved to Manhattan, N.Y., where he
earned his high school equivalency diploma.
After a brief career at A&M
Records failed, Amos said he started his cookie business out of a desire
and enthusiasm to bake cookies.
Though the majority of the
audience only knew of the speaker by the name they have seen on cookie
packages, but one audience member said he attended the event purely to hear
Amos speak.
"I knew that he had really
good cookies, but I wanted to hear what he had to say," said Omar Ray, a
student majoring in engineering.
Aside from what Amos had to
say, his watermelon tie and shoes - painted by his wife - stood out to
audience members.
In an interview prior to
the event, Amos spoke about the thoughts that inspired him to write his
most recent book, "Watermelon Magic: Seeds of Wisdom, Slices of Life."
"One day, as I walked along
Lanikai Beach in Hawaii," Amos said, "I thought about how individuals allow
the beliefs of other people to control their livesŠand their behavior.
"Life is about choice and
the choices that we as individuals make about our lives and not the choices
that others make for us."
In Amos' biography, he
"uses the watermelon as a metaphor for life, sharing his personal path to
wisdom, humor, joy and a positive outlook on life."
Amos emphasized how fame
should inspire celebrities to help others.
"Just because you're famous
doesn't mean you're entitled to anything," Amos said. "If you're famous,
you should use that to do good for people."
Amos devotes his time to
promoting literacy for children. He read the audience two children's books
and discussed how reading to children was very inspirational for him.
"They're like little
sponges," Amos said. "They just take everything in and enjoy it so
much."
Copyright 1999 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved.
This article was published in Vol. 136, No. 10 (Friday, January 29, 1999), beginning on page 1 and ending on page 3.