Atlanta school principal and college professor wife drown on Puerto Rico vacation

close

Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for November 13

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

An Atlanta-area high school principal and his college professor wife drowned while vacationing in Puerto Rico this week. 

Jamar and Ann Marie Robinson were swimming in the ocean Sunday behind their beach resort hotel near San Juan when Ann Robinson was dragged by rip currents, according to a Puerto Rico news report. Jamar Robinson tried reaching for his wife and they both went under the water, the report said. 

Onlookers unsuccessfully tried to rescue the couple, authorities said. 

“Our hearts are broken for the family of Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Robinson and the entire Westlake community,” Bobby May, a football coach at Westlake High Scool, where Robinson was principal, tweeted. “We will always remember Mr. Robinson as the principal who worked tirelessly, was always upbeat, passionate, never missed a game or event and LOVED his students with a heart that was unmatched.” 

The couple leaves behind two boys, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. 

A message posted to the school's website said Robinson "left a legacy of PRIDE that will live on through the faculty members and students that he impacted and encouraged to #BeTheChange."

Robinson had been principal of the school, located just outside Atlanta city limits, since 2018. He was recognized as an "Outstanding Georgia Citizen" in 2014 and was described by Fulton County Schools as a "passionate leader whose focus on relationship building and transparency has led to significant results for the communities and students that he serves."

His wife was an assistant political science professor at Georgia State University Perimeter College, the newspaper reported. She was working toward her doctorate when she died. 

Jamar and Ann Robinson drowned while vacationing in Puerto Rico over the weekend  (GoFundMe)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“She was a beloved and admired member of the faculty and her loss is felt personally and professionally by all of us,” Dean Nancy Kropf told the newspaper in an emailed statement.

Ann Robinson was also known as the "encyclopedia" in her doctorate program because of her intellect and love of learning, the newspaper reported. Funeral arrangements for the couple were pending. 

A New York City couple also drowned while honeymooning in the Caribbean last month. Muhammad Malik, 26, a corporate attorney, and his 29-year-old wife, Dr. Noor Shah, a surgeon, were swimming in chest-high waters at a Turks and Caicos resort on Oct. 28 when they were overcome by strong riptides, the New York Post reported.