Randy Pausch, 1960-2008; "The Last Lecture"

Randy Pausch passed away yesterday of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 47. Pausch was the terminally ill computer science professor whose poignant farewell lecture at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University became a viral video phenomenon and then a best-selling book (see link below). He symbolized living life to the fullest.

His speech will likely remain one of the most famous "last lectures" ever given. (Such lectures are a long-standing tradition among university professors during which they share their final thoughts). Pausch's speech was scheduled for just a 4 weeks after he learned he had just months to live. Pausch didn't have to imagine the speech as his last, it was. After the speech he became an instant online celebrity and later crossed over to mainstream media via numerous newspaper articles, then television (including an Oprah appearance) and finally his well-written book (which was co-authored by the Wall Street Journals' Jeffrey Zaslow). Even though the messages in his speech touched millions, Pausch said that the words for for his young children.

From the book: "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."

The book as too many life lessons to even summarize here. He personifies everything that we have wanted LifeTwo to be (and is why we created the "Living Life to the Fullest" category as well as the "Before I Die" keyword). When we started LifeTwo we wanted the site to be a wake-up call for those who were drifting through life. We wanted our readers to ask themselves questions like "if you vanished today, what would your legacy be? What would you like to be remembered for? How can you get there?" The answers, whatever they are, wouldn't be found sitting in front of a TV.

Randy's book is filled with hope and admiration and highly recommended.

Amazon:The Last Lecture