July 25, 2008
Randy Pausch, Computer Scientist Famed for His 'Last Lecture,' Dies
More than a year after he was given six months to live, and after 10 months during which he touched millions over the Internet with his last lecture and helped write a best-selling book about life, illness, and hope, Randy Pausch died today, the Associated Press reported. Mr. Pausch, a computer-science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, was 47.
In September 2006, Mr. Pausch was told that he had incurable pancreatic cancer. His last lecture, at Carnegie Mellon in September 2007, about achieving childhood dreams, drew international attention and was viewed by millions on YouTube and elsewhere on the Internet.
It also spawned the book The Last Lecture, written with Jeffrey Zaslow, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal. Last month Mr. Zaslow told an audience of college officials at The Chronicle’s Executive Leadership Forum that Mr. Pausch had given him information for the book while riding his bicycle. Mr. Pausch donned a headset and spoke to Mr. Zaslow over a couple of months in sessions that totaled 53 hours. He also revealed that Mr. Pausch’s health had deteriorated sharply in recent months.
Mr. Pausch said he felt awkward about his fame, but he did use his influence to lobby Congress for more federal support for pancreatic-cancer research. He also appeared on Oprah and other TV shows. He even got a small role as an extra in a new Star Trek movie.
In his lecture and book, Mr. Pausch talked a lot about the need to have fun in life. “I mean I don’t know how to not have fun. I’m dying and I’m having fun. And I’m going to keep having fun every day I have left. Because there’s no other way to play it,” he said in his Carnegie Mellon lecture. “You just have to decide if you’re a Tigger or an Eeyore. I think I’m clear where I stand on the great Tigger/Eeyore debate.”
In honor of Mr. Pausch, Carnegie Mellon plans to name a footbridge after him. The bridge will connect the university’s Gates Center for Computer Science with the Purnell Center for the Arts. Hilary Robinson, a university dean, told The Chronicle that the bridge symbolizes Mr. Pausch’s commitment to an interdisciplinary approach to computer-science education.
Today Mr. Pausch’s home page at Carnegie Mellon could not be opened, probably because it was overwhelmed with traffic from all over the Internet. —Josh Fischman
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I was so touched by his stories about his boyhood, his family and his search for truth in his life and in science. He bridged so many human hearts of all backgrounds. My heart goes out to his family. Prof. Pausch has left a wonderful legacy.
— Deborah Jul 25, 05:00 PM #
My condolences to his family. I thank them for sharing Randy and his love for life with us in his last months.
— Janice Jul 28, 08:31 AM #
I cried when I watched his lecture. What a wonderful, inspirational man. I’m sure he never intended to become so “famous”, but he touched so many people. My condolences to his family and friends. And a great big thank you for sharing him with us.
— Yolanda Jul 28, 12:22 PM #
If only there more Randys—healthy ones.
— Robert Reichley Jul 28, 04:18 PM #
Though not all can do it as well, any teacher can do what Randy Pausch did—share the pursuit of personal goals and aspirations. Many years ago an honors composition of class of mine decided they should be able to assign me an essay topic. I was somewhat surprised when they asked me to write on whether my life had turned out the way I had expected it to (I was probably an ancient 40 at the time). I wrote as honest a response as I could (yes and no, of course, with the story in the details). The students were surprised in turn that I took my assignment seriously (modeling good student behavior) and by my willingness to try to tell them the truth. We almost casually ask students to share their thoughts and ideas and feelings with us, but we don’t often share our own with them. Oh, we’ll let them know our political or social views, but not the really important things. I’m not suggesting that we turn a class into a confessional (many “confessions” are ultimately about trival matters), but that we be willing not to always hide our hopes and fears, that we share our enthusiams, intellectual and otherwise, and that we not be afraid to share our disappointments—not simply to “humanize” ourselves for our students but to help them learn to humanize themselves. What is most touching—and challenging—about Pausch’s lecture is not in the details of his life but in his willingness to share them with his students. And may we all have his success in living large until the moment we die.
— johntee Jul 29, 10:30 AM #