C.M. (Ben) Benedict, III, age 83, formerly of Charleston and Atlanta, passed away at his home in Florida on June 19, 2018.  Educated in the City of Charleston public schools, Mr. Benedict was in the second graduating class of Rivers High School, and completed his undergraduate studies in Political Science at the University of South Carolina, after which he received his J.D. from the School of Law in January, 1962.  He practiced law in Charleston until 1970, then moved to Atlanta where he was litigation consultant to several trial law firms, engaged in private investment banking, and founded the only company in the world providing pre-packaged foreign destination currency aboard worldwide international flights.  While practicing law in Charleston, his community activities included membership on the Coastal Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the Executive Committee of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  A direct descendant of James Benedict, who wintered at Valley Forge with Gen. Washington, Mr. Benedict was also a graduate of the Military Intelligence School of the War College at Ft. Riley, Kansas and served with the Counterintelligence Corps in Europe during the height of the Cold War in the mid-1950's, receiving the Korean Service Medal, the European Occupation Medal and the National Defense Medal.  In recent years he was Chairman of Morgan Equities Group, Inc., a publicly-traded holding company.  He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Cam and Karen Benedict of Charleston, and his two beloved granddaughters, Brittany B (Shawn) Newby and Kelly Benedict.  Private services are planned, but he would have encouraged memorials to the Make A Wish Foundation or to any charity of choice.