Roger Stillman Bender, PhD, 98, of Mt. Pleasant died at his home on September 21, 2013. A memorial gathering will be held in early November, details for which will be released by the family. Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc., Mount Pleasant Chapel.

Born August 20, 1915, in Cresson, Pennsylvania, Roger graduated from Yale University in 1936 with a degree in physics. During World War II, he served with the MIT Radiation Laboratory developing radar in support of the Nation's military. After earning his doctorate from Harvard University, he taught and conducted research at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and the University of Pittsburgh. From 1957 to 1966, he helped to design the Isochronous Cyclotron at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. He finished his career as the Chairman of the Physics Department at The Citadel, retiring in 1980. While at The Citadel, he conducted groundbreaking research on space radiation at the Commonwealth University of Virginia.

Roger is survived by his wife of 53 years, Margaret Krivonak Bender; his daughter, Michele Bender, of Charleston; his son, Christopher Bender, of Portland, Oregon; two granddaughters and a grandson.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Lowcountry Food Bank, 2864 Azalea Drive, Charleston, SC 29405.