Jay Ingram was admired for his consistent involvement in school events, whether small or large. "No matter if it was academic, athletic, or fine arts, he supported kids outside of school more than any other teacher has ever done,” colleague Meredith Townsend said. Ingram Photo courtesy of Lady Scots Soccer
By Ellie Cooper
After 40 years of teaching, 12 of which were at Highland Park, physics teacher Jay Ingram has made a lasting impact on the community.
Ingram was known as a teacher, friend, mentor and an irreplaceable joy to many. In the late summer of 2023, Ingram passed away but his unwavering spirit will be treasured by all that knew him.
“He was just boisterous, he had a loud voice and a big personality,” colleague and friend Meredith Townsend said. “He was a larger than life person.”
Townsend, a biology teacher, worked in the same department as Ingram. After meeting 12 years ago, the two became fast friends.
“He really cared about everybody. He’d go out of his way to stop in the hallway to talk to me, so we became good friends over that,” Townsend said. “He was very much involved with a lot of groups outside of school, and wanted to be friends with everybody.”
Senior George Lewis is a former student of Ingram. He took the MAPS engineering and design program in junior year.
“I’ve always wanted to be an engineer and I just love every part of being creative and making projects. He was one of the first teachers that really saw that in me,” Lewis said. “He would always encourage me, he would understand that I was trying my best in the class, and [when] I had off-days, he was very understanding of that.”
Lewis noted that throughout the struggles of the year both inside and outside of school, Ingram always supported students and was very understanding of their circumstances.
“He really cared about everybody. He’d go out of his way to stop in the hallway to talk to me, so we became good friends over that.”
“There were a lot of times when I didn't have some of the projects done on time because I had other work after school, and many times he supported me,” Lewis said. “He told me to just get it done in my free time, and he was very understanding of my life outside of school, which I really appreciate in a teacher.
Senior John Mittendorf had Ingram in physics as a junior, but still recalls his first impressions of Ingram back when he was a freshman.
“I would see him when I was a freshman [by] his class. I would see him throw balls at kids walking by and he looked like an awesome, fun guy. [I thought] I'd love to have him as a teacher eventually,” Mittendorf said. “Then two years later when I was a junior, I looked at [my] schedule and there was his name, Mr Ingram,” Mittendorf said.
Like Townsend, Mittendorf also appreciated the way Ingram connected with his students and colleagues through jokes, and conversations about their lives.
“He really loved talking with kids and hearing about their days. He was genuinely interested in his students and what they were going through,” Mittendorf said. “He was always eager to engage with people and talk. He had a lot of fun with that.”
When teaching, Ingram strived to push his students but also created a welcoming and fun classroom environment
“I mean, I thought [he had] a very enjoyable class. If anything, I [would] look forward to it every morning knowing that I could go to his class because he honestly lit up the room,” Mittendorf said. “Mr. Ingram was one of my favorite teachers I've ever had, and was very open, genuine, and personal.”
Mittendorf believes that Ingram’s personality and approach to the material is what made the difficult honors physics class enjoyable.
“He was someone that I would look up to for anything that I ever needed,” Mittendorf said. “He made me engaged in the class and really pushed me to be a better student in all aspects.”
Because Ingram made such a remarkable impact on students and colleagues, the community wanted to give back to him. Townsend created and managed a GoFundMe for Ingram to alleviate the stress of the medical bills that his family has to pay.
Mr. Ingram was one of my favorite teachers I've ever had, and was very open, genuine, and personal.”
“Mainly it was transport, [the staff and parents] wanted to move him from Dallas to Tyler, and wanted to make sure his family didn’t feel strained with medical bills that needed to be paid,” Townsend said. “For stroke victims it’s all about getting really good physical therapy, and that was the initial goal, but since he’s passed away, the money will go to his celebration of life and family.”
After the goal for the GoFundMe was met and surpassed with a total of $30,381 raised, all of the money was given to Ingram’s family.
“Just the teachers raised $1,200 to pay for his ambulance ride,” Townsend said. “The $30,000 was just pure community support, and it happened in three or four days, which just speaks volumes of what kind of a guy he was.”
Ingram made a long-lasting impact on those both inside and outside the school.
“It wasn’t just the GoFundMe that shocked me with support, it was the emails that I received from kids from other schools he taught at 10 to 15 years ago,” Townsend said. “It shows how much he’s impacted people, and it gives us all hope and sanity during a crazy time of teaching and I think Jay would’ve wanted that.”
Senior and captain of the girls soccer team Emerson Andrews never had Ingram as a teacher, but knew him well through his huge support for the soccer team.
“He was just a big supporter,” Andrews said. “Last year at our annual banquet, he got the Fan of the Year award, because he literally came to every single game.”
She would also see him every morning when she arrived at school early, and he’d greet her with a smile on his face and a good morning. After learning about Ingram’s stroke, the soccer team all came together to express their care.
“I went to visit him when he was in the hospital, and that was a sweet moment,” Andrews said. “The soccer team made posters for him, so me and my mom went up there and brought the poster to him. Then we sat with him and his sister, and talked to him, and it was good seeing him.”
Not only was he the biggest fan of the soccer team, but he also made an effort to attend extracurricular events throughout the school.
“No matter if it was academic, athletic, or fine arts, he supported kids outside of school more than any other teacher has ever done,” Townsend said “He was at every teacher appreciation meeting, and was always nominated, and I think that’s unique to him. Not everyone has the ability to do that.”
Through his years of teaching, Ingram had a long-lasting impact on every individual he engaged with.
“One thing that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life and can always attribute to him is his passion. I'm very happy to be able to carry that on,” Mittendorf said. “Everything that he did was just incredibly fun and [he was] always a joy to be with.”