Prof whose 'last lecture' became a sensation dies

[Allhallowsday]

Prof whose 'last lecture' became a sensation dies    
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 Jeffrey 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...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080725/ap_en_ot/obit_pausch

[indianasmith]

I haven't actually viewed "The Last Lecture,"  but I've heard good things about it.



 I think the most important thing any of us can do with our lives is find something we love doing and focus on that.  I may occasionally gripe about teaching, but the fact is I love being in front of the classroom, talking about things I passionately care about and occasionally seeing that light bulb go on over some student's head.  Several of my best history students have gone on to major in history themselves, and that warms my heart more than I can ever tell . . . they may never make a ton of money, but like me, they will ROCK at Trivial Pursuits!!!!

Rest in peace, Professor Pausch.

[Dennis]

I've had a good bit of experience with death over the last 5 years or so, it seems to be harder on the living than the dead. I won't know for sure until I die, and then I won't be able to tell anyone living here what it's like, but I believe we go to a better place. I think that it's important that we live our lives in such a way that we will not regret the things that we should or could have done but didn't do. I also agree with Will Rogers, you should live the kind of life where you wouldn't be afraid to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.