The Last Lecture

Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow wrote the book entitled, "The Last Lecture". The book has been broken up into six parts and reflects much of what Randy Pausch shared with his audience during a lecture series. In the past, this lecture series was called, The Last Lecture and selected college professors were asked to give a lecture as if it were their "last lecture". Throughout this lecture they would share their wisdom, successes, and council to those who attended the lecture. For Randy Pausch, this wasn't merely a frame to build his lecture around, it was reality. Randy Pausch was diagnosed with Pancratic cancer and given a short time to live. He looks, sounds and acts like your average healthy man but he is on the slippery road to death. Throughout the book, he provides his readers with simple, yet profound advise. This book is one I would highly recommend for men. Randy's comments, humor, humility, and humanity brings the reader to the place where things really matter....the moments we spend with those around us, specifically those we love.

Randy past away during the month of July (2008) and left behind a lovely family and a lasting legacy. He is a man who used his last months on earth to make a lasting impact on his family, friends and those still on earth. Continue to dream and seek to fulfill that dream.

If you have not read his book or seen Randy's lecture on You Tube, I highly recommend it. His book and his last lecture will occupy space on my book shelf, occupy space in my computer, and be shared in my leadership classes. May everyone who encounters his book and/or lecture benefit in a life changing way.

Joseph Pulitzer and the Story Behind the Pulitzer Prize

Joseph Pulitzer and the Story Behind the Pulitzer Prize was written by Susan Zannos. This is a brief autobiography on Joseph Pulitzer who, like Alfred Nobel, wanted to recognize individuals for exemplary deeds and/or actions. Unlike Nobel, Joseph Pulitzer created prizes (or recognitions) in the areas of journalism and the arts.

Joseph Pulitzer was born April 10, 1847, in Hungary and died in his yacht in South Carolina on October 29, 1911. He was a man of many journalistic accomplishments. Throughout Joseph's life, he battled with his health; however, this could have been a direct result of his intense work schedule. Mr. Pulitzer was driven to be successful, a workaholic, and had a passion for accuracy and brevity. In all aspects of his life, it is easy to concluded that Mr. Pulitzer had a need to be in control.

Throughout Joseph Pulitzer's life we was the managing editor of the Westliche Post (1871), purchased the St. Louis Dispatch (St. Louis Post-Dispatch 1878), purchased the New York World, raised money for the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty (1885), and served four months in the U.S. House of Representatives (1885). In 1985, Mr. Pulitzer and his New York World (A.K.A. World) newspaper were engaged in a "newspaper" war with William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal (formally owned by Albert Pulitzer, Joseph's brother). It was well documented that the New York World would put the news out in the morning and then the New York Journal would simply reprint the articles in their evening paper. This infuriated Joseph Pulitzer.

The Pulitzer prize(s) were inspired by Alfred Nobel's annual recognition prizes in the areas of science and medicine. However, Pulitzer specified nine prizes that focused around journalism and the arts (i.e. four in journalism, three in literature, and one in drama). According to Joseph's written requests, the awards were to be given to people who live in the United States and the awards ceremony was to be low key. To this day, any American who has had a piece published in a major media venue (i.e. newspaper, magazine, etc...) can submit their entry in one or two Pulitzer prize categories. If someone is interested they can obtain more detailed information and criteria from their website - http://www.pulitzer.org/.

For some time now, I was interested in the origin of both the Nobel Prize and the Pulitzer Prize. I aware of both of these prizes but on a superficial level. The Nobel Prize typically has some TV coverage as well as written coverage while the Pulitzer Prize tends to be in the back ground. In comparing the two men, Alfred Nobel and Joseph Pulitzer, I'd have to say that these awards or prizes reflect who they were at the core. Alfred Nobel did not want the world to remember him nor see him as "the man of destruction" but rather as a man who sought out ways to bring peace and value to the human collective. Joseph Pulitzer strove to uncover the injustices and wanted to make things right. He punished those who did wrong (i.e. uncovered their acts and exposed them in the paper, fined or let go journalists who were not accurate with their information, etc...), yet awarded those who strove toward excellence.

Although both of these men made a positive mark within the human collective, I noticed a few similarities that alarmed me. First, both men well of financially when they died; however, they both died alone. Both men were workaholics at the expense of their overall health. Lastly, both men were so driven and obsessed with their passion (their work, their purpose) that it had a negative impact on their family life. Sometimes success from the world's perspective isn't always success on a personal level. Food for thought.

Alfred Nobel and the Story of the Nobel Prize

John Bankston wrote this brief biography on Alfred Nobel. Alfred Nobel, widely known for implementing the "Nobel Peace" prize, was born on October 21, 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden. He patented over 350 products in his lifetime and acquired over 10 million dollars by the time of his death (December 12, 1896). Alfred Nobel invented dynamite (named after the Greek word "dynamis" which means power) by harnessing the explosive power gunpowder and nitroglycerin.

In April of 1888, Alfred had an enlightening experience that changed the course of his life. Up until then, he was a man driven to succeed, a ruthless businessman (especially when it came to his patents), and lonely. During the month of April, Alfred's brother died. Ludvig Nobel died of a heart attack; however, the newspaper reported that Alfred Nobel had died. The obituary described Alfred as the "Merchant of Death". It went on to talk about all the products of destruction that he invented, sold, and became wealthy with. Although this was true, Mr. Nobel did not want to be remembered as "The Merchant of Death". In 1895 Mr. Alfred Nobel moved to San Remo and drew up his will. This document was entitled as Testament. In his Testament, he ordered that his estate to be invested in "stable securities" so that "the annual interest on which shall be awarded as prizes to those persons who during the previous year have rendered the greatest services to mankind." At the time of his death, Alfred estate was estimated at 10 million dollars. Recently, the Nobel prize money reached $1,000,000.

When Alfred Nobel passed away on December 12, 1895, his obituary read, "a gift to mankind intended to further its development and promote its welfare, as well as to serve purely idealistic purposes - probably the most magnificent one of its kind that a private person had the desire and the ability to make."

I picked up this book today at the library because I heard or read of the "obituary" story surrounding Alfred Nobel and I wanted to uncover its truth. I never knew who invented dynamite nor did I know of the story behind the Nobel Peace prize. This was a pleasant biography and story of a man who had an opportunity to change how people perceived him. I, too, hope I can learn from Alfred's story and realize that we all have the opportunity and power to change the way others perceive us.

The Ledgend of Bass Reeves

The Legend of Bass Reeves is another excellent book by Gary Paulsen. This book is a fictional autobiography that has bits of fiction and bits of non-fiction. According to Gary Paulsen, there are few documents available for research about Bass Reeves. Gary Paulsen spends a considerable portion of his book on the "early" undocumented years of Bass Reeves' life.

Bass Reeves was born into slavery. He ran away in his late teens because of an incident that occurred between Bass and his owner. Bass escaped into "The Territory". He lived there, traveled every mile, and met many native Americans.

For a number of years, Bass lived with a Native American family deep within the Indian Territory. As the story goes, Bass saved a Native American girl from the mouths of several hungry wolves. In doing so, he was badly injured and nearly lost his life. The Native American family brought him back to health and declared him a member of their family.

In the late 188's, Mr. Bass Reeves became a marshal within the old Indian Territory. This territory was rough, raw, and lawless. He was one of a few marshals who took on the job to help "tame" this territory. Also, he was one of a very small number of African Americans who took on the challenge enforcing the law within the old Indian Territory. He took on the job in his late thirties, early forties and held it for 32 years. At the young age of 70, he brought in his son who had killed his wife. It was said that bringing in his son, was the most difficult thing he ever did. Bass died on Wednesday, January 12, 1910. According to the Muskogee Times Democrat, Mr. Reeves' death was caused by Bright's disease and complications.

For those readers who enjoy early American, western heroes, and semi-biographies, reading this book will bring a smile to your face. Gary Paulsen brings out and celebrates an unsung hero of our American past. Bass Reeves truly was a man who knew what was right, strived to do what was right, and lived the character traits of honesty and integrity.

On a side note: Gary Paulsen is my all time favorite author. After some time thinking about it, it is due to the fact that s to he was the one author that literally "pulled" me into reading. I hated reading up until I picked up a book he wrote entitled "Hatchet". I was a struggling reading in elementary school, I think I read a little in middle school, struggled through high school as well as in college. I picked up Hatchet when I was teaching 7th grade. I had to read because I made my students read daily as well as read aloud in class. They were going to love to read and not turn out like their teacher and hate reading. Reading is the key to a new future. The one thing that I noticed as I began to read book (specifically those by Gary Paulsen) and talk about them, many of my students began to pick up the same books and read them. We need to share the joy of reading with others, especially our young adults.

Living Beyond Regrets

"Living Beyond Regrets" by Guy Rice Doud is a book about living beyond regrets. It is a book that helps you see that regrets and anger have an impact on your life. Many of us are driven. Driven to succeed. Driven to be the best. Driven to be all that we perceive we need to be. What have I done in the past that I regret? What words, actions, or perceptions trigger the anger button?

Guy Rice Doud opens the door to his personal journey and invites the reader to walk with him. His journey is painful, yet insightful for both the author as well as the reader. We learn that we all have failed; however, we are not failures. We learn that we can not change our past, nor the perceptions of others, yet we can chose our attitude and the way we look at things. We also chose to believe in God's word. It is so easy to say we believe in God's word but to actually put it into practice is another thing. Guy shared a story in chapter nine (Come to the Well) that really hit home. In a nutshell, the prospector discovered the well on the map was dry, yet someone created a sign telling the reader that there was a new well 2 miles due north. The prospector was faced with a choice, go in the direction the map suggested or trust the handwritten sign. Both choices were bleak especially since his need for water was critical. The prospector goes through a series of "faith-based" choices and ends up making it to his destination. The point of this story is to point out that life is filled with the forks in the road and we must "trust" God. He will bring us through but we must trust that God will do what he says.

The author also encourages the readers to examine the regrets they have. Name one regret you have and then ask yourself a simple question, "Why is this a regret?" When done in complete honesty, this can be a powerful and insightful experience. In addition, the author suggests the reader examine what makes them angry. After you have compiled a list of 6-10 things, look for patterns or look for the root of the anger. Although this book is not a simple fix, it is a book that provides hope and encourages the reader to press on, chose the right attitude, and trust that God does not see us as a failure through His Son Jesus.