Norman Alexander


Norman Stanley Alexander was a New Zealand physicist instrumental in the establishment of many Commonwealth universities, including Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria, and the Universities of the West Indies, the South Pacific and Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland.

Life

Alexander was born in Te Awamutu, New Zealand. Alexander was one of eight children of farmers whose ancestors were immigrants from the United Kingdom and Denmark.

Alexander took his early education at Hamilton Boys' High School before moving to the University of Auckland to study physics, graduating with a Bachelor of Science with first class honours in 1927. In 1930, Alexander achieved a two-year scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge to study physics at the Cavendish Laboratory with Ernest Rutherford.
Alexander is married to noted meteorologist Frances Elizabeth Somerville Alexander née Caldwell and have three children William, Mary and Bernice. All the children were born in Singapore.

Qualifications

He was imprisoned in Changi Prison in 1942, and word had made its way to New Zealand that he had died, only later to be told that he was actually still alive. Using his academic knowledge, Alexander helped to build a salt evaporation plant at Changi and a small industrial plant that fermented surgical spirit and other products for prison hospital. Upon release, he eventually headed a New Zealand commission of investigation into abuses at Sime Road Internment Camp.

Awards and honours

Alexander was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1959 Birthday Honours, and was knighted in March 1966.