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The Last Lecture
by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow
Randy Pausch was born in 1960. He received his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Brown University and went on to achieve his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon. He was a professor of computer science and has been recognized as a pioneer of virtual reality research. He created an animation-based teaching program for high school and college students studying computer programming. He taught at the University of Virginia from 1988 to 1997 so in many ways he is one of our own.
In September 2006, Pausch was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer. They say that a positive attitude is 99% of the battle with cancer and Pausch “celebrated living the life he had always dreamed of instead of concentrating on impending death.” And when he was asked to give “the last lecture” as professors are often asked to do, he was literally giving his last lecture. But rather than talk about dying, he “seized the moment” to talk about living his dreams, overcoming obstacles, and having fun every day “because there’s no other way to play it.”
Pausch wanted this book as a legacy to his three young children. It is a narrative of the last lecture which was a PowerPoint of pictures from his life. He talked about growing up with parents who encouraged him to follow his dreams. Throughout his life, he followed his dreams and lived life to the fullest. The book is a fast, easy and thought-provoking read…a wonderful tool for new parents who want only the best for their children and are willing to “revisit priorities” and spend quality time with their children.
Pausch’s closing comments at the 2008 Carnegie Mellon commencement probably say it best – “we don’t beat the reaper by living longer, we beat the reaper by living well and living fully.”
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