Famous college professors Famous college professors and Heroes of Higher Education . Today is National Teachers Day, and shiny apples and thank-you cards will grace the desks of primary school teachers across the land. But let's not forget all those higher-education heroes — real and fictional — who've also made the grade. Randy Pausch The inspirational former computer science professor was given a terminal medical diagnosis in 2007. What was his illness? Before his death the following year, he delivered some stirring final words to students. Henry Louis Gates Jr Gates has been a staple in the world of Massachusetts academia since 1991. He is the award-winning director of the school's African-American research program. Américo Paredes Paredes was devoted to the study of corridos. This Texas native taught creative writing and made a campus breakthrough. Which program did he help launch? John F. Nash Jr...