Randy Pausch Named Beliefnet's "Most Inspiring Person of 2008"
December 11, 2008
Randy Pausch, the Unitarian Univeralist computer science professor who authored "The Last Lecture," has been selected as Beliefnet's "Most Inspiring Person of 2008." Pausch, who taught at Carnegie Mellon University and was a member of the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, delivered "The Last Lecture" which became a video sensation and later, a best-selling book. Pausch died of pancreatic cancer in the summer of 2008, leaving his wife, Jai, and his three small children.
Beliefnet's editors said, "Pausch was selected because of his huge, far-reaching impact and because even after his death he continues to inspire legions of viewers. Pausch's lecture, delivered for a small audience at Carnegie Mellon University where he was a professor of computer science, became an internet phenomenon. He reached more people than he ever dreamed of. People uploaded his words of wisdom and inspiring tips for life and forwarded them to friends. By 2008, his inspiration had reached almost 20 million people. His message was simple and powerful: 'We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.'"
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Last updated on Thursday, June 3, 2010.
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