I knew the day would eventually come, but I was still hoping for many more web entries from Randy. For months, I checked his homepage daily at http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/news/ to see what he had written and how he was holding up. But on July 25, 2008, I went out to his site to find that after a 22-month heroic fight with incurable pancreatic cancer, he had died. (My father died of the same in 1971).
He surfaced onto the public radar back in September 2007 when, as a Carnegie Mellon University Professor, he gave his “last lecture.” His lecture was viewed by millions on YouTube. He became an overnight sensation due to his positive attitude about living life and his words of sage advice. My two favorite’s are, “You can't control the cards you're dealt, just how you play the hand" and “Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show how badly we want something.”
These days, you hear a lot about “The Secret” and how it has changed the lives of many. Well for me it was “The Last Lecture” that changed my life for the better and gave me much-needed hope. I would not have created this blog if it hadn’t been for Randy. And, by doing so, I was able to reach one of my life-long goals of having my writing published and read by others.
Tonight (July 29, 2008) ABC News will air a special at 10 p.m./9 central covering Randy and his life. If you want to see a man that has left a remarkable legacy and became a hero for the 21st century, watch it. If you don’t have the opportunity to see it, then read his book “The Last Lecture” or view his last lecture on YouTube. You won’t be disappointed.
I will miss you Randy. You touched so many lives and made such a difference for so many, especially to me.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
