The professor whose last lecture inspired millions
Randy Pausch
1960–2008
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
After Randy Pausch got his Ph.D. in computer science, his mother would say, “He’s a doctor, but not the kind that helps people.” She was wrong. On Sept. 18, 2007, Pausch, who was dying of incurable cancer, delivered an academic lecture so personal, humorous, and uplifting that it has been viewed online by more than 10 million people and is now a No. 1 best-selling book.
Pausch was a dynamic teacher, said The Washington Post, “once taking a sledgehammer to a VCR to make a point about user-friendly technology.” Joining Carnegie Mellon University in 1997, he helped build it into one of the nation’s leading centers for the science of virtual reality. But in 2006, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. With time running out, Pausch joined the university’s “‘Last Lecture’ series, in which professors impart lessons from a lifetime of teaching and learning.” Opening his 76-minute talk with “ominous images of his CAT scans,” he shared his grim prognosis. Then, “to prove he was otherwise in excellent condition, the trim Pausch snapped off several push-ups.”
Pausch went on to speak “of the importance of child-like wonder,” said The New York Times, and how it had inspired him to do many things: “to win giant stuffed animals at carnivals, to walk in zero gravity, to design Disney rides.” He offered such wry, uplifting observations as, “Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.” In the audience of more than 400 was Jeffrey Zaslow, a Carnegie alumnus and a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. An article Zaslow wrote about the talk gave Pausch a national audience, and when the lecture was posted on YouTube, the response was overwhelming. “Some said he inspired them to quit feeling sorry for themselves, or to move on from divorces, or to pay more attention to their families. Others said they decided not to commit suicide because of it.” The fame also allowed Pausch to indulge his few remaining wishes. “When the Pittsburgh Steelers heard he had dreamed of playing pro football, they let him participate in a practice.”
-
The best dark romance books to gingerly embrace right nowThe Week Recommends Steamy romances with a dark twist are gaining popularity with readers
-
The ocean is getting more acidic — and harming sharks’ teethUnder the Radar ‘There is a corrosion effect on sharks’ teeth,’ a study’s author said
-
6 exquisite homes for skiersFeature Featuring a Scandinavian-style retreat in Southern California and a Utah abode with a designated ski room
-
Bob Weir: The Grateful Dead guitarist who kept the hippie flameFeature The fan favorite died at 78
-
Brigitte Bardot: the bombshell who embodied the new FranceFeature The actress retired from cinema at 39, and later become known for animal rights activism and anti-Muslim bigotry
-
Joanna Trollope: novelist who had a No. 1 bestseller with The Rector’s WifeIn the Spotlight Trollope found fame with intelligent novels about the dramas and dilemmas of modern women
-
Frank Gehry: the architect who made buildings flow like waterFeature The revered building master died at the age of 96
-
R&B singer D’AngeloFeature A reclusive visionary who transformed the genre
-
Kiss guitarist Ace FrehleyFeature The rocker who shot fireworks from his guitar
-
Robert Redford: the Hollywood icon who founded the Sundance Film FestivalFeature Redford’s most lasting influence may have been as the man who ‘invigorated American independent cinema’ through Sundance
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacyFeature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
