July 25, 2008

Randy Pausch Has Passed Away

A very sad but expected moment for those who were touched by his "Last Lecture". Randy was a Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist who chose to speak about facing terminal cancer in his "last lecture." These lectures are given by professors when they are retiring to look back and think about their successes and failures, imparting it on the audience, usually family and co-workers.

Randy's last lecture caught the nation by storm by becoming an internet phenomenon, quickly spreading through the academic circles and eventually earning him a spot on the New York Times Bestseller List with his book, aptly titled, "The Last Lecture".

In Pausch' last lecture he saw an opportunity to teach his kids and give them life lessons in a form that would last far longer than his body. "The lecture was for my kids, but if others are finding value in it, that is wonderful," Pausch wrote on his website. The theme of Randy's lecture was to never let go of your childhood dreams, chase them but don't be disappointed if they don't all come true, be grateful for those you were able to experience.

I have all of the respect in the world for Randy Pausch, he tried to leave as much as he could for his children and wife, packing up and moving closer to her family so she could better deal with his impending death. Today his wife Jai, three children Dylan, Logan, and Chloe I imagine are spending time processing the actuality of a situation that is never easy to accept, hopefully with those close to them and with the same amount of fearless joy their husband and father exuded. At 47, Randy Pausch has passed away due to terminal pancreatic cancer, but he accomplished another dream of his, to leave a legacy, a written and spoken account of what he would've said to his sons and daughter as they grew up, touching so many other lives in the process.

We offer our condolences to the family as well as the friends of Randy Pausch.


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