Gerry Alexander
A Jamaican wicket-keeper who captained the West Indies to a historic series win in Australia, bridging a cricketing era.
1928–2011 (age 83)·Jamaican cricketer·Birthday: November 2·The Silent Generation
Biography
Gerry Alexander arrived on the international scene not just as a skilled wicket-keeper, but as a figure of transition. A white Jamaican in a predominantly black West Indies team, his leadership was tested when he was appointed captain for the 1960-61 tour of Australia. There, he guided a young side featuring the emerging Frank Worrell to a gripping, series-levelling victory in the famous tied Test at Brisbane. That tour is often seen as the dawn of modern West Indies cricket, and Alexander, with his calm demeanor and sharp glovework, was its steward. After cricket, he returned to his first profession as a veterinarian, serving in Jamaica's government and remaining a respected elder statesman of the game. His legacy is that of a competent cricketer who found himself at the helm during a pivotal moment, steering his team with integrity into a new age.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Gerry was born in 1928, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Gerry Was Born
The biggest hits of 1928
#1 Movie
The Singing Fool
Best Picture
Wings
Gerry's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1928Born
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1933Started school
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1941Became a teenager
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Could drive
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1946Could vote
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Turned 21
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1958Turned 30
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 40
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 50
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 60
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 70
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 80
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2011Died at 83
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
Key Achievements
- Captained the West Indies to a series-levelling 1-1 result in Australia during the 1960-61 tour, which included the first tied Test in history.
- Recorded 90 dismissals as a wicket-keeper in just 25 Test matches for the West Indies.
- Scored his only first-class century, a patient 108, in a Test match against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1961.
Did You Know?
He was a qualified veterinarian and served as Jamaica's Chief Veterinary Officer.
He was the last white cricketer to captain the West Indies in a Test match.
His full name was Franz Copeland Murray Alexander.
“You lead the team you have, not the one you wish for.”
