Friends and colleagues will gather next week to remember the life of retired UA professor Mac E. Hadley, who was found murdered in his home after it was destroyed by a fire last week.

The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. Dec. 6 in DuVal Auditorium at the Arizona Health Sciences Center, 1501 N. Campbell Ave., and will honor Hadley, 76, a UA professor emeritus extensively involved in skin pigmentation research.

At the time of his death, Hadley was in the midst of a multi-million-dollar deal with long-time friend and fellow retired research

partner Victor Hruby, for their work with melanocyte-stimulating hormone. MSH could allow tanning without exposure to ultraviolet rays, Hruby said.

“”Mac was passionate,”” said Hruby, who collaborated with Hadley for 37 years. “”He worked hard, he was a very dedicated and critical person and he really enjoyed what he did. Now we have a person coming in who is interested in our hormone, and unfortunately Mac’s going to miss that.””

Hadley came to the UA in 1966, when professor emeritus Joseph Bagnara suggested that Hadley become a professor in the endocrinology department. At that time, Bagnara said, the UA was just becoming a serious research institution and needed top-notch professors.

“”Mac hit the ground running when he came,”” Bagnara said. “”He was really a hard-working and highly motivated guy. We wanted to hire him not so much because he was an articulate teacher but because he was a good one.””

As a professor, Hadley devoted himself to his teaching and research and became well-respected in his field, Bagnara said. His book, “”Endocrinology,”” was published in 1973 and is still quoted in the classroom in its fifth edition.

“”People respected Mac as a teacher,”” Bagnara said. “”He had a great impact in this way.””

Family was also extremely important to Hadley, said Clark Lantz, interim department head of cell biology and anatomy.

“”His face would beam when he spoke about his grandchildren,”” Lantz wrote in ane-mail.

“”He was a good family man,”” Bagnara said. “”He loved his kids and grandchildren, and he developed lots of friends at the UA, though he was a pretty quiet and articulate guy.””

On Nov. 18, Tucson Police Department officers apprehended Marco A. Chavez, 31, who they believe is connected to the murder of Hadley and the arson of his home, said Sgt. Decio Hopffer of the Tucson Police Department.

“”We have made no further arrests,”” Hopffer said. “”We think we have the guy, and he was acting alone.””

Although Hopffer could not confirm the amount set for Chavez’s bond, the typical amount for first-degree murder cases is $1 million, he said.

The trial date is unknown at this point and will be determined by the Pima County District Attorney’s Office, Hopffer said.

The memorial service is open to the public, Lantz said, and those who were touched by Hadley’s life or research are encouraged to attend.