Life Sciences Building, Room 206
501 S. Nedderman Drive
Box 19047
Arlington, TX 76019
In memoriam: Jay Atman, UTA alumnus and beloved high school teacher
The University of Texas at Arlington lost a beloved alumnus with the recent passing of Jay Atman, long-time AP Physics teacher at James Martin High School in Arlington. Atman died Jan. 12 at age 63.
A Celebration of Life service was held on January 21 at Woods Chapel Baptist Church in Arlington, where he and his family were long-time members and were heavily involved in numerous church activities.
Atman had a passion for science and cared deeply for his students. On his passing, dozens of his former students left comments on his Facebook page of how much he meant to them, far beyond teaching them physics. He frequently mentored and encouraged his students and helped many of them through traumatic and difficult times in their lives. He inspired many to go on to become teachers themselves.
He also went above and beyond when it came to his teaching duties. For many years Atman held after-school tutoring sessions at a Jack in the Box restaurant near the Martin campus where he helped students with science and math homework. He also brought his AP Physics students to UTA on weekends to lead them in college-level teaching labs.
“Mr. Atman was a passionate, fiery, funny, loving, talented, devoted teacher and friend to all he met,” one former student wrote. “He felt physics in his body and soul and shared that deep knowledge with his students.” Another wrote: “Mr. Atman made physics accessible. He encouraged his students to work hard, but more importantly he taught us how to work together and how to persevere. As his student, I had so much fun learning. He was the positive and supportive role model I needed during my last two years of high school.”
While working on a bachelor’s degree in physics at UTA, Atman also worked in the research lab of the late Suresh Sharma, long-time UTA professor of physics. Later, he worked on a part-time basis as a consultant helping in the development of physics labs on campus and on weekends helping to train the department’s graduate teaching assistants.
“Jay was a highly regarded teacher for many years and is fondly remembered and talked about by generations of Arlington students,” said Alex Weiss, professor and chair of the UTA Department of Physics. “Jay was an outstanding and dedicated teacher who inspired many students. He was a good friend to our department. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.”
Atman earned a B.A. in Physics from UTA in 1997, the same year he began teaching physics at Martin. He went on to earn an M.A. in Education from UTA in 2001.
In 2015, Atman was instrumental in the creation of the Arlington ISD STEM Academy, which was designed in partnership with UTA and is housed at Martin High School. The STEM Academy prepares students to succeed in STEM college majors and careers through innovative and rigorous learning experiences at the high school and college level. Students earn credits along four pathways—engineering, biology/biomedical science, computer science and math/science. The Academy offers students the chance to complete first- and second-year STEM college courses at UTA prior to high school graduation.
For years, Atman guided Martin’s science team, which frequently qualified for the UIL state academic competition. He would often make the rounds at UTA asking faculty for copies of textbooks they no longer needed so that he could use the end of chapter questions to create practice sets for his teams. Over the years he mentored teams to two second-place finishes, three third-place finishes, and two fourth-place finishes at the state meet. In 2021, in his final year at Martin, his team claimed the state championship, and his pride in his students was palpable.
He was born July 6, 1959 in Pittsburgh, PA, and graduated from Upper St. Clair High School. In 1980 he joined the Covenant Players, a nonprofit missionary organization which communicates a Christian message through the medium of drama. The players perform dramatic plays worldwide to bring positive change and a life-changing message to audiences of all ages, according to the group’s website.
Atman performed with the Covenant Players until 1997, when he received his physics degree from UTA and went into teaching full-time.
Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Jerrie-Lynn Atman; and daughters Katie Jayne Atman and Becca Atman.
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