Randy Pausch Inspired Millions

Randy Pausch, the professor at Carnegie Mellon University who inspired countless students in the classroom and others worldwide through his highly acclaimed last lecture, has died of complications from pancreatic cancer on Friday, 25th July, 2008. He was 47.

Also a Carnegie Mellon alumnus, Pausch co-founded the Entertainment Technology Center and led researchers who created Alice, a revolutionary way to teach computer programming. He was widely respected in academic circles for a unique interdisciplinary approach, bringing together artists, dramatists and designers to break new ground by working in collaboration with computer scientists.

Outside the classroom, he gained public fame for delivering what would come to be known as “The Last Lecture.” On Sept. 18, 2007, only a month after doctors told him that he had three-to-six months to live following a recurrence of pancreatic cancer, he presented a lecture called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” to a packed auditorium at Carnegie Mellon.

The moving and often humorous talk recounted his efforts to achieve such childhood dreams as becoming a professional football player, experiencing zero gravity and developing Disney World attractions. In the process, he shared his insights on finding the good in other people, working hard to overcome obstacles and living generously.

“If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself,” Pausch said. “The dreams will come to you.”

The video appeared on countless websites and has been viewed by millions. Appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC’s Good Morning America and the CBS Evening News followed.

A book version, “The Last Lecture” co-written by Jeff Zaslow of the Wall Street Journal (and a fellow Carnegie Mellon alumnus), became a best-seller upon its release this spring.

“Randy had an enormous and lasting impact on Carnegie Mellon,” said Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon. “A brilliant researcher and gifted teacher, he was a key member of our Human-Computer Interaction Institute and co-founder of the Entertainment Technology Center. His love of teaching, his sense of fun and his brilliance came together in the Alice project, which teaches students computer programming while enabling them to do something fun — making animated movies and games. Carnegie Mellon — and the world — are better places for having had Randy Pausch in them.”

Pausch was also a pioneer in the development of virtual reality, including creating the popular Building Virtual Worlds class.

A memorial service at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh is being planned; details will be announced at a later date.

He is survived by his wife, Jai, and three children: Chloe, Dylan and Logan. The family requests that donations on his behalf be directed to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2141 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 7000, El Segundo, CA 90245, or to Carnegie Mellon’s Randy Pausch Memorial Fund, which the university will use primarily to support continued work on the Alice project.

For more information on Randy’s life and legacy, read In Memoriam: Randy Pausch, Innovative Computer Scientist at Carnegie Mellon, Launched Education Initiatives, Gained Worldwide Acclaim for Last Lecture.

Related Links: Watch Randy’s Lecture on YouTube |  About Randy’s Last Lecture |  Download Randy’s Lecture on iTunes U |  Buy the Book

The journey of a thousand miles has to begin only with the first step.  The 10,000-metre marathon too starts with the humble first step.  Several ‘prospective successful persons’ in the past did not go much  further because of THAT one step – they dared not take it (for reasons of several kinds) and were all-content to remain eternally ‘the prospective’ for the success that awaited them.  They all ended up just where they were. The fear of attempting something big (in the case of some and something new in the case of others) – had immobilized them!

To begin a task is usually the toughest step.  That is why we have sayings like, A  GOOD  START  IS  HALF  THE  BATTLE  WON  and WELL  BEGUN  IS  HALF  DONE.  That again is why many people who ‘dared to begin’ DID make a mark – even in cases where it needed another to COMPLETE the good work.

Please spend 5 minutes of your time to listen to the video

As Severn said her piece, her audience sat speechless. Some were teary-eyed; others sat their heads bent down in shame, while others simply nodded in agreement… Like them I was taken back -not only by the child’s maturity and wisdom but also by her piercing vision and premonition of things to come. I wondered what had become of her and of her timeless cry and I wondered what impact her plea had on her audience on that hot Brazilian summer day. With a little bit of research I discovered that according to Severn’s own account, her historic initiative landed on deaf ears.

I hope to believe that today, things will be different, and that as her 16-year-old revived plea makes its journey through the e-mails of billions of people around the world, someone in a remote land will take the lead and make sure that her message is not only heard, but also acted upon

Inspired by the spider, the Scottish king Robert the Bruce told his men, ‘If you don’t succeed the first time, try, try and try again’K Jayaganesh‘s story is similar. He failed the civil service examination six times but never lost heart. The seventh time — his last chance — he passed with a rank of 156 and has been selected for the Indian Administrative Service.

Jayaganesh’s story is inspiring not because he did not lose heart but also because he comes from a very poor background in a village in Tamil Nadu, and though he studied to be an engineer, he worked at odd jobs, even as a waiter for a short while, to realise his dream of becoming an IAS officer.

Read on for Jayaganesh’s inspiring achievement, in his own words.

(more…)