Randy Pausch
Pausch delivered his "Last Lecture", titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams", at CMU on September 18, 2007. He gave an abridged version of his speech on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in October 2007. The talk was modeled after an ongoing series of lectures where top academics are asked to think deeply about what matters to them, and then give a hypothetical "final talk", with a topic such as "what wisdom would you try to impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance?" Before speaking, Pausch received a long standing ovation from a large crowd of over 400 colleagues and students. When he motioned them to sit down, saying, "Make me earn it", someone in the audience shouted back, "You did!"
2020 Vision Quest
2020 Vision Quest is a non-profit organization founded by Randy Pierce of Nashua, New Hampshire, in the United States. Pierce is a totally blind man who planned to earn certification from the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) for climbing all 48 of the state's mountains over 4000 feet tall by the year 2020. Pierce completed his goal in August 2013, and was led on the trail by his guide dog Quinn, a yellow Labrador retriever, also called "The Mighty Quinn" by Pierce in appreciation of the dog's remarkable zest for mountaineering.