The professor who gave the Last Lecture to a packed auditorium and, eventually, six million viewers around the world has passed away from pancreatic cancer. I feel the same way I did when my grandfather died. GrandPops was so vibrant and healthy and full of life that I felt sure if anyone could live forever, it would be him. Randy Pausch had a wonderful life, made some spectacular choices when faced with a short runway at the end, and embodied what a professor and a father should be. His wife and children are in my thoughts. His page is unreachable at the moment. He chronicled his vital signs in an utterly straightforward manner as the disease progressed, and retained his remarkable upbeat voice throughout.
Randy Pausch talked about being a Tigger versus an Eeyore in life, and I think that is a wonderful metaphor. Now I am off to download Alice, the programming language for children he stewarded, to introduce my son to a new skill in Professor Pausch's honor - and have fun doing it.
PS Here is his lecture on time management, which he seemed to think was going to be his legacy before all "this" happened.
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