Saying Goodbye to Dr. Randy Pausch
Today we lost Dr. Randy Pausch, the upbeat Carnegie Mellon professor who gave the infamous "last lecture" that inspired the world. Dr. Pausch delivered the lecture in September, 2007, just shortly after being told that he had a life expectancy of only a few months due to advanced pancreatic cancer. His lecture was recorded and posted to YouTube, where it became a worldwide phenomenon. He later published a book of the same name.
Although most people know Randy from his lecture, he was also well-respected in the field of computer science, most notably in virtual reality. He led the development of the Alice project, which is designed to simplify the way people learn computer programming. It's actually one of our recommended software packages for learning to program. Randy's impact in the realm of computer science education will be felt for a long time to come.
Randy leaves behind his wife, Jai, and his three children, Dylan, Logan and Chloe, as well as many family and friends. He was 47. You can read more about Randy's life and legacy on the Carnegie Mellon website. There is also information on how to make a donation in his memory.
Read More
- Randy's Personal Site (Including his battle with pancreatic cancer)
- Tribute Page to Randy (including links to video of "The Last Lecture" and other talks)
- Press Release from Carnegie Mellon University
- The Alice Project
Comments
Thank you for writing about this. Randy has been an inspiration and a powerful force behind pancreatic cancer awareness.
My mom is suffering from pancreatic cancer as well, and is very, very near death. The suffering is almost unbearable to watch.
My hope is that the strides made by Randy will result in early detection and better treatments of this horrible disease so that others in the future may escape the pain and sadness.
My heart goes out to his loved ones, I understand what they have gone through.
I’m so sorry to hear about your mom, Jenna. I think Randy has done a lot to raise awareness of how devastating pancreatic cancer can be. Hopefully, he has also encouraged some folks to live their lives to their fullest.