Randy Pausch, known for his last lecture on following childhood dreams, dies

Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon professor whose last lecture on following your childhood dreams became an Internet hit and bestselling book, has died of pancreatic cancer. He was 47.

We spoke about Professor Pausch during gratitude month, as he reminds us to thank those teachers who push us to our potential and in the direction of our dreams. As shown in his last lecture, that was the kind of teacher Randy Pausch was. He was also all about exercising your determination:

“Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things.”

–Randy Pausch

According to the New York Times:

Last September, Dr. Pausch unexpectedly stepped on an international stage when he addressed a crowd of about 400 faculty and students at Carnegie Mellon as part of the school’s “Last Lecture” series. In the talks, professors typically talk about issues that matter most to them. Dr. Pausch opened his talk with the news that he had terminal cancer and proceeded to deliver an uplifting, funny talk about his own childhood dreams and how to help his children and others achieve their own goals in life. He learned he had pancreatic cancer in September, 2006.

This inspirational video is of Randy Pausch giving his last lecture. The full YouTube version is posted here– and well worth the view– but here’s is a shortened version (10 minutes) that played on Oprah for your convenience.

Thank you, Professor Pausch, who certainly showed us a thing or two about determination. A Powerful Example, indeed, of what it means to go after your dreams.

With gratitude,