UPDATE (Oct. 13, 2014) The Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry will be hosting a memorial in honor of Dr. Denny at the USC University United Church, 817 W. 34th Street, L.A., Calif. 90089, on Oct. 27, beginning at 5 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, his family asks that donations either be sent to the Assistance League of Long Beach or to Partners in Health.

Paul C. Denny, professor and scholar at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, passed away suddenly this weekend. He was 76.

Denny earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif., before pursuing his doctor of philosophy degree in developmental biology from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., in 1966.

Denny began his long career at the USC dental school in 1972 when he and a cadre of young scientists—including Cedric Minkin, Michael Melnick and Charles Shuler—were brought onboard by Harold Slavkin who was seeking to bolster USC dentistry’s stature in the research field, according to the USC Centennial.

Denny was highly regarded in the research community for his work in the fields of salivary gland cellular development and differentiation, salivary glycoprotein structural analysis and their clinical applications.

His research on salivary gland development, which helped lay the foundation for saliva diagnostic testing, had been continuously funded—including significant grants from the National Institutes of Health—throughout his career at USC. In addition to his innovative research, Denny served in vital leadership roles during several administrations at the USC dental school.

Denny is survived by wife Patricia Denny, a member of the USC dental community since 1974, as well as four children.

The Ostrow School will share more details about the fallen faculty member as they become available.