Randy Pausch, PhD, RIP

[Guest guest]

THere are those, like DeBakey, MD, who have a long life of achievement

and service - their fire burns brightly. There are also those who are a brief

flame, but the flame refuses to die and is remembered by many. Randy Pausch was

one of those.

 

While your stay here was short, what you left will inspire and long remembered.

May you trod a gentle trail and your family and friends have joy for the time

you were here.

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Prof whose 'last lecture' became a sensation dies

By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 16 minutes ago

 

PITTSBURGH - Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist

whose " last lecture " about facing terminal cancer became an Internet sensation

and a best-selling book, died Friday. He was 47.

 

Pausch died at his home in Chesapeake, Va., said Zaslow, a Wall Street

Journal writer who co-wrote Pausch's book. Pausch and his family had moved there

last fall to be closer to his wife's relatives.

 

Pausch was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer in September 2006. His

popular last lecture at Carnegie Mellon in September 2007 garnered international

attention and was viewed by millions on the Internet.

 

In it, Pausch celebrated living the life he had always dreamed of instead of

concentrating on impending death.

 

" The lecture was for my kids, but if others are finding value in it, that is

wonderful, " Pausch wrote on his Web site. " But rest assured; I'm hardly unique. "

 

The book " The Last Lecture " leaped to the top of the nonfiction best-seller

lists after its publication in April and remains there this week. The book deal

was reported to be worth more than $6 million.

 

Pausch said he dictated the book to Zaslow by cell phone, and Zaslow recalled

Friday that he was " strong and funny " during their collaboration.

 

" It was the most fun 53 days of my life because it was like a performance, "

Zaslow told The Associated Press. " It was like getting 53 extra lectures. " He

recalled that Pausch became emotional when they worked on the last chapter,

though, because that to him was the " end of the lecture, the book, his life. "

 

At Carnegie Mellon, Pausch was a professor of computer science, human-computer

interaction and design, and was recognized as a pioneer of virtual reality

research. On campus, he became known for his flamboyance and showmanship as a

teacher and mentor.

 

The speech last fall was part of a series Carnegie Mellon called " The Last

Lecture, " where professors were asked to think about what matters to them most

and give a hypothetical final talk. The name of the lecture series was changed

to " Journeys " before Pausch spoke, something he joked about in his lecture.

 

" I thought, damn, I finally nailed the venue and they renamed it, " he said.

 

He told the packed auditorium he fulfilled almost all his childhood dreams —

being in zero gravity, writing an article in the World Book Encyclopedia and

working with the Walt Disney Co.

 

The one that eluded him? Playing in the National Football League.

 

" If I don't seem as depressed or morose as I should be, sorry to disappoint

you, " Pausch said.

 

He then joked about his quirky hobby of winning stuffed animals at amusement

parks — another of his childhood dreams — and how his mother introduced him to

people to keep him humble: " This is my son. He's a doctor, but not the kind that

helps people. "

Pausch said he was embarrassed and flattered by the popularity of his message.

Millions viewed the complete or abridged version of the lecture, titled " Really

Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, " online.

 

" I don't know how to not have fun, " he said in the lecture. " 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. "

Pausch lobbied Congress for more federal funding for pancreatic cancer research

and appeared on " Oprah " and other TV shows.

 

In what he called " a truly magical experience, " he was even invited to appear as

an extra in the upcoming " Star Trek " movie. He had one line of dialogue, got to

keep his costume and donated his $217.06 paycheck to charity.

 

Pausch blogged regularly about his medical treatment. On Feb. 15, exactly six

months after he was told he had three to six months of healthy living left,

Pausch posted a photo of himself to show he was " still alive & healthy. "

 

In May, Pausch spoke at Carnegie Mellon's commencement ceremonies, telling

graduates that what mattered was he could look back and say, " pretty much any

time I got a chance to do something cool, I tried to grab for it, and that's

where my solace comes from. "

 

" We don't beat the reaper by living longer, we beat the reaper by living well

and living fully, " he said.

 

Born in 1960, Pausch received his bachelor's degree in computer science from

Brown University and his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon.

 

He co-founded Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center, a master's

program for bringing artists and engineers together. The university named a

footbridge in his honor. He also created an animation-based teaching program for

high school and college students to have fun while learning computer

programming.

 

In February, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences in California announced

the creation of the Dr. Randy Pausch Scholarship Fund for university students

who pursue careers in game design, development and production.

 

He is survived by his wife, Jai, and their three children, Dylan, Logan and

Chloe; his mother, Virginia Pausch of Columbia, Md.; and a sister, Tamara Mason

of Lynchburg, Va.

In a statement Friday, his wife thanked those who sent messages of support and

said her husband was proud that his lecture and book " inspired parents to

revisit their priorities, particularly their relationships with their children. "

___

Associated Press writer Ramesh Santanam contributed to this report.

___

On the Net:

Pausch's lecture: http://www.cmu.edu/randyslecture/

 

" A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the

simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. "

Proverbs 22:3