Ragnar Oswald Rollefson 1906-1998 Ragnar (Rollie) Rollefson received his Ph.D. in Physics (molecular spectroscopy) from the University of Wisconsin in 1930 under Charles Mendenhall and remained on the staff throughout his career, serving as Department Chair for most of the period 1947-61. He worked on radar at MIT (1942-45), was chief scientist at Naval Research Lab field station in Boston (1946), associate director of Project Charles at MIT's Lincoln Lab (1951-52), chief scientist of the US Army (1956-57), acting director of the Midwest Universities Research Association (1957-60), and director of the US State Department's office of international scientific affairs (1963). He retired in 1976 after a distinguished career of teaching, research, and public service