‘Have something to bring to the table,” Randy Pausch told a packed auditorium at Carnegie Mellon University on Sept. 18 of last year.

Indeed he does.

Dr. Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, is dying. Diagnosed in September 2006 with pancreatic cancer, he was informed 11 months later that the disease had metastasized and he had no more than six months to live. Eight months later, Dr. Pausch is still alive, living on what he and wife Jai refer to as “bonus time,” according to his blog.

His legacy will be far less finite.

Dr. Pausch’s speech at Carnegie Mellon, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” is part of a series called “Journeys.” It used to be called “The Last Lecture.”

“I finally nailed the venue, and they renamed it,” Dr. Pausch joked in his 76-minute speech, a touching, dignified and unexpectedly funny talk that isn’t really about dreams after all, but about life.

A video of the lecture on Web site youtube.com has been viewed more than 1.8 million times. “The Last Lecture” has been adapted into a book by Dr. Pausch and Wall Street Journal writer Jeffrey Zaslow. It is at the top of the New York Times best-seller list. On April 9, ABC News ran “The Last Lecture: A Love Story for Your Life,” a Diane Sawyer special.

In the face of adversity, Dr. Pausch’s humor and charm remain intact. In the ABC News special, he reminded Ms. Sawyer that she failed to ask him about any plans to make a movie of his life.

“Can’t be done,” he said. “No Hollywood actress is pretty enough to play my wife.”

What childhood dreams did Chattanoogans have? What life lessons do your neighbors want to pass on? Find out.

JULIE STEPHENS

East Ridge

Childhood dream: to be rich and famous.

Life lesson learned: Have high standards and moral values. “I believe in live and let live. Life’s too short for all this other crazy stuff.”

BRENDA L. WOODS

North Chattanooga

Childhood dream: to be a dress designer

Life lesson learned: Love each other and get along. “That’s the key word: love.”

SANA DABIT

Chattanooga

Childhood dream: to travel to the Mediterranean

Life lesson learned: Follow your heart; don’t let anyone influence you; listen to your gut.

MATTHEW SIENER

North Chattanooga

Childhood dream: “I always wanted to own and run my own business, and as of last month, I just bought (a Quiznos).”

Life lesson learned: Do your job correctly even if people don’t appreciate it; don’t be shot down by what people say; learn from your mistakes.

VICTOR ANKAR

East Brainerd

Childhood dream: to come to the United States (from Pakistan).

Life lesson learned: “Work, work, work.”

RANIA ABDELNOUR

(Sana’s daughter)

Childhood dream: to be a princess or a professional boxer Life lesson learned: Don’t let your past keep you from achieving your goals; stay positive.

HOLLI CURRIE

Rossville

Childhood dream: to be a lawyer.

Life lesson learned: Women should learn to be independent. “Be careful who you mess with … love ain’t all it’s cracked up to be because it won’t put a roof over your head or raise those illegitimate kids.”

JOHN ORR

North Brainerd

Childhood dream: “to be rich so I could help my mother and a lot of my friends.”

Life lesson learned: “Young men should pull their pants up.”

MILAD DABIT (Sana’s father)

Childhood dream: to get an education and have a good family.

Life lesson learned: Listen to your elders; have life experiences.