Randy Pausch 1960-2008: Beloved computer science professor dies at 47

by Steve Ragan - Jul 26 2008, 02:40

Dr. Randy Pausch, the charismatic Carnegie Mellon professor known for his “Last Lecture” and celebrated for his co-founding of the Entertainment Technology Center and the creation of ALICE, which uses his famed “head fakes” to teach 3D programming, died on July 25, 2008 at the age of 47 from complications related to pancreatic cancer.

“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand,” Pausch said during his final lecture. Pausch’s “Last Lecture”, which was titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”, has inspired millions of people all over the globe.

His talk, both humorous and serious at times, details his life, and offers a “head fake” (indirect teaching) to others by demonstrating that the only thing stopping you from obtaining your dreams is yourself. The video of his final lecture, filmed in 2007, is seen as part pep talk and part performance. A self-titled book based on “The Last Lecture” topped the New York Times bestseller list, and has seen translations in 30 languages.

"Good teaching is always a performance, but what Randy did was in a class all by itself," said Andy van Dam, co-founder of the computer science department at Brown University, which Pausch attended as an undergraduate.

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) said that, van Dam, a longtime mentor to Pausch, was impressed by "the care and affection he lavished on his students. They responded to him as athletes do to a great coach who cares not only about winning but about the team players as individuals."

In his “Last Lecture” Pausch spoke about his dreams and explained how he had accomplished them. He often referred to brick walls during his talk, which are there for a reason: “The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something, because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough,” Pausch said.

“Pausch, the father of three young children, saw it as his mission to help enable the dreams of his students. In his last lecture, he spoke of how grateful he was to those who had helped him along the way: professors, colleagues, a football coach, and especially, his own parents. He explained how he had dreamed of writing a World Book Encyclopedia entry, experiencing zero gravity, and creating Disney attractions - all dreams that were fulfilled,” Carnegie Mellon University said in its memoriam tribute.

CMU President Jared L. Cohon said, "Randy had an enormous and lasting impact on Carnegie Mellon. He was a brilliant researcher and gifted teacher. His love of teaching, his sense of fun and his brilliance came together in the Alice project, which teaches students computer programming while enabling them to do something fun - making animated movies and games. Carnegie Mellon - and the world - are better places for having had Randy Pausch in them."

The video of his final lecture was viral towards the end of 2007, with millions of people watching Pausch’s wit and teaching methods. While facing death, he opens his talk by explaining what “the elephant” is and follows with a frank statement, if not dark joke, “...if I don’t seem as depressed or morose as I should be, sorry to disappoint you.”

No one was disappointed in Randy Pausch; he lived his life after his diagnoses of terminal cancer to the fullest each day. Students called him a “once in a lifetime teacher” and colleagues, then at the time of the video’s appearance and now after his passing, have nothing but positive things to say about him.

Randy Pausch will live on however, through his wisdom, through those students who learned from him, through his family and in ALICE. The most appropriate description of ALICE comes from CMU:

“Perhaps his most ambitious effort was ALICE, a computer programming environment that enables novices to create 3-D computer animations using a drag-and-drop interface. ‘The best way to teach somebody something,’ Pausch explained, ‘is to have them think they're learning something else.’ With Alice, students concentrate on making movies and games, but they also are learning to program.”

“Like Moses, I get to see the Promised Land, but I don't get to step foot in it. That's OK. I will live on in Alice.” – Randy Pausch

You did not have to know Randy Pausch to understand his thoughts and opinions, nor did you have to know him to learn from him. He touched so many people with his taped lecture you can never place a solid number on it.

Geeks and dreamers all over the world are in mourning, but it is safe to say that instead of feeling sad, go out and do something you have always wanted to do. Try something risky, and if you fail, then make sure you fail with such visibility everyone knows. Go and live today with some excitement and fun, because if you have seen Randy Pausch talk, or have seen his interviews, then you know that is how he would want to be remembered.

Randy leaves behind strong memories, millions of people he has never met, yet whom he has touched and helped over the past several months, his devoted students and, according to Randy himself, the most important people in his life; his wife Jai, and his three children, Dylan, Logan, and Chloe.

The family requests that donations on his behalf be directed to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2141 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 7000, El Segundo, CA 90245, or to Carnegie Mellon's Randy Pausch Memorial Fund, which primarily supports the university's continued work on the Alice project.

The full memoriam from CMU can be read by clicking here.

Click below to see "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams".

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