Hello Pamela and welcom to OtD.
First congratulations for your choice: a very nice watch that can be an excellent starting point for the vintage Heuer world.
I used to own a Pasadena and it's very comfortable, sturdy and can go down very well with both sporty and elegant attires.
Furthermore, its movement (Valjoux 7750) is possibly the most widespread chrono mechanism of all and all decent watchmakers know how to deal with it - and it is considered the "Kalashnikov of chronos" for its reliability.

The Pasadena was produced by Heuer in the late '70's, when the brand started using the V7750 in it and a few others (Kentucky, Montreal).
It was available both in the version with "Pasadena" on the dial and in one that is basically the same but w/o the moniker on the dial.
The original case and its original bracelet have a black PVD surface finish, one of the earliest attempts of Heuer, and it can flake away and wear at the edges very easily, which is considered quite normal.
Pristine elements are commanding a meaningful premium but then tend to end up more as "safe queens" (i.e.locked away) than worn.

Our fellow OtDer Stewart has written an impressive article on it, and if you look for "Pasadena" in this forum you'll find a pretty comprehensive number of posts.

Some pictures have been collected by our host Jeff here:
http://onthedash.com/Guide/_Chronographs/79.Pasadena/Reference_750.501_(Pasadena)/

Pls. do post some pictures of it when it's come back - and do tell your son to start hanging round here after he's graduated - as if he does before, it can prove a very serious distraction...

A final but very important note: if the box is the "right" one (i.e. red with checkered part round the lower part of the lid and white font in the shield logo, with interior velvet and watch holder) it can be worth as much as the watch or even more if conditions are good or better - unlikely as it may sound to people unfamiliar with the brand, this is one of the oddities of Heuer.

Hope this helps.
Cheers
Fabrizio