Given the Chance to Inspire, Two Men Deliver

Facing one’s final days with dignity is certainly one measure of a man. Two of the most noteworthy men to do so, North Carolina State basketball coach Jim Valvano and Carnegie Mellon computer scientist Randy Pausch, inspired millions with one memorable final message.

Randy Pausch
This past weekend saw the passing of Pausch whose last lecture as he was facing terminal cancer went on to become an Internet sensation as well as a best-selling book. The professor of computer science, human-computer interaction and design, died at his home in Virginia, at the age of 47, a victim of pancreatic cancer.

Ironically, Pausch gave his legendary final lecture in what initially was designed as a series called “The Last Lecture.” The series had been created to allow professors to think about the most important elements in life then give a hypothetical final lecture.

Just prior to Pausch giving his real-life version, the series title was changed to “Journeys.” The professor, known for his showmanship in the classroom, made light of that very development in a speech that was a positive celebration of life.

In it, Pausch celebrated living the life he had always dreamed of instead of concentrating on impending death. He stated, “If you look at my CAT scans, there are approximately 10 tumors in my liver, and the doctors told me 3-6 months of good health left. That was a month ago, so you can do the math. I have some of the best doctors in the world. So that is what it is. We can’t change it, and we just have to decide how we’re going to respond to that. We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.

“If I don’t seem as depressed or morose as I should be, sorry to disappoint you.”

He also went on to use his self-deprecating sense of humor, informing everyone the methodology by which his mother would introduce him. He stated it was her method to keep her son humble.

“This is my son. He’s a doctor, but not the kind that helps people.”

The focus of his talk was on achieving your childhood dreams. The terminally ill speaker insisted he had managed to achieve almost all of his except one, “to play in the NFL.” His final dream was a part in the latest Star Trek movie. Pausch delivered one line.

Adding so much to the talk was the amazing contrast, a man who knew his life would end prematurely giving a talk while still as physically fit as a man could be. Stated Pausch:

“And the other thing is I am in phenomenally good health right now. I mean it’s the greatest thing of cognitive dissonance you will ever see is the fact that I am in really good shape. In fact, I am in better shape than most of you.”

At that point Pausch got on the ground to do few one-handed push ups. He added,

“…anybody who wants to cry or pity me can get down and do a few of those, and then you may pity me.”

Jim Valvano
It was back in 1993, at an ESPN Awards show called the Espy’s that the North Carolina State basketball coach gave his memorable final speech. It was the inaugural Espy Awards show and Valvano was given the inaugural Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award that evening.

A passionate man noted for wearing his emotions on his sleeve, Jimmy V. also began by addressing the elephant in the room. But in contrast to the physically-fit Pausch, the frail NC State coach had to be helped on and off the stage. And in direct contrast to Pausch, Valvano chose to focus on the impact of cancer on his life and that of his family.

“I’m going to speak longer than anybody else has spoken tonight. That’s the way it goes. Time is very precious to me. I don’t know how much I have left.”

Then true to his nature, the coach of the 1983 NCAA Basketball Tournament NCAA Champion Wolfpack, a team that overcame incredible odds to win the national title, placed those emotions on full display with his focus on what matters in life.

“To me, there are three things we all should do every day,” he stated. “Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. Number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy.

“…. think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.”

Valvano went on to add another three things to remember.

“I always have to think about what’s important in life to me are these three things: where you started, where you are and where you’re going to be. Those are the three things that I try to do every day.

“It’s so important to know where you are. I know where I am right now.”

Valvano went on to ask the audience:

“How do you go from where you are to where you want to be? I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You have to have a dream, a goal. You have to be willing to work for it…to keep your dreams alive in spite of problems, whatever you have.”

But it was Valvano’s passionate closing, delivered in two parts, that spurred a generation to tears.

“…we are starting the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research. And it’s motto is ‘Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.’ That’s what I’m going to try to do every minute that I have left. I will thank God for the day and the moment I have.”

And then as if the teleprompter was insisting he bring things to a close, Valvano added:

“I know, I gotta go, I gotta go, and I got one last thing and I said it before, and I want to say it again. Cancer can take away all my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever.”

Grace under Pressure
There is a saying that the great ones are able to demonstrate grace in the most adverse of circumstances. In Pausch and Valvano, two separate generations have been provided such an example.

These two men not only publicly handled life’s greatest misfortune with enormous dignity, with their speeches they set an incredible example for their respective inner circles. There is no doubt that Pausch’s last lecture will go on to be as memorable in academic circles as Valvano’s has been within the world of college sports.

Two other memorable quotes from Pausch’s last speech reflect every bit what Valvano modeled as he addressed his audience in 1993.

“Remember brick walls let us show our dedication, “ stated Pausch. “They are there to separate us from the people who don’t really want to achieve their childhood dreams. Don’t bail. The best of the gold’s at the bottom of barrels of crap.”

And as for a final message, Pausch also referred to the famous Winnie the Pooh group of characters.

“You just have to decide if you’re a Tigger or an Eeyore. I think I’m clear where I stand on the great Tigger/Eeyore debate.”

Given his words at the Espy’s, we can also be clear as to which side of the Tigger/Eeyore debate Coach Valvano would have come down on as well.