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 'Doc Boc'
Bockler, a member of the Massachusetts Hall of Fame For Science Educators,
died Sept. 2 of an apparent heart attack at his home in Belmont. He was 64. The
main office at AHS reports that services are private and that a
memorial service has been planned for October.
As AHS teachers prepared for a new school year, the unnerving news had an immediate effect.
Dave Blakely, an AHS science teacher who had been a colleague before Bockler retired, wrote in an e-mail Sept. 4 that he was
"the most outstanding teacher I have ever known. His passion for
science and biology was only exceeded by his interest in and love for
his students. He served as an example for all of us at AHS. He was
loved by all and will be sorely missed as our world has lost one of its
finest teachers and human beings."
Anne Albertazzi, who works in the main office at AHS, told YourArlington:
"I first met Don when he was one of my daughter's teacher's in 1985. He was without a doubt her favorite teacher of all time.
"I joined [Arlington public schools] in 1989 and had the privilege of
getting to know him a little better. Don was so intelligent,
soft-spoken, with a dry wit, worked tirelessly for and with his
students. I am sorry that his retirement years were so short."
Arlington resident Deanna Stacchi Turnquist, a 1994 graduate of AHS, who had Don as a teacher in the 1992-93 school year, wrote:
"I had Doc Boc (his affectionate nickname from those of us that had
him) for A.P. Biology my junior year. He was a teacher that made you
want to go to class.
"His eagerness to teach about a subject he was obviously so enthusiastic about, made us all equally as eager to learn.
"He was soft-spoken, brilliant and engaging. He never had to try to
'get' our attention. He had it from the moment we walked into his lab.
"He truly appeared to love, not only his field of expertise, but the
profession he chose in which to use and share it. He took us on nature
camping trips to the Boston Harbor Islands, taught us to juggle (yes,
even advanced-placement classes can be fun) and even rewarded us with a
cookout following the intense A.P. Biology exam (which, if you had Doc
Boc, was not all that terrible because he had prepared us so well.)
"As I said before -- he is a teacher that one never forgets."
Ly Perry, an Arlington mother whose senior year at AHS was 1985-86, wrote:
"My favorite Doc Boc story is how he inspired us to respect the
Earth.Doc Boc took his class on a walking field trip to the Great
Meadow [in Lexington]. We spent the day seeing the beauty around us and
the destruction of careless people who vandalize and littered.
"As we walked back to AHS, he encouraged us to pick up litter, and some
of us did. He once said you might not be able to clean or help the
world, but you can clean up your corner. That has stayed with me."
Nanci Ortwein, a veteran AHS Spanish teacher, remembered:
"I knew Don Bockler from the early '70s till he retired. He was brilliant yet related to everyone.
"He was patient and kind. He loved science but encouraged kids to do well in every subject. He was mild-mannered but with a great sense of humor.
"He brought out the best in all his students. He was a wonderful friend to all of us.
"Two of my children had 'Doc Boc' -- Kristin (who was grumbling because she had to take a science as a senior, but who couldn't wait for his class every day) and Michael.
"Here's one of my best memories. I was walking by a stairway [at AHS], and he was walking up. He called my name. I looked up, and he said simply, 'Michael,' and then gently clapped his hands. That was Doc Boc."
Bockler was honored in 2003, the year he retired, when he was named to the Massachusetts Hall of Fame For Science Educators, which recognizes outstanding contributors to science education in the Bay State.
A teacher of biology from basic levels to advanced placement, he taught environmental science, ecology and earth science. According to his own online description of his work, Bockler attemped to integrate outdoor, experiential education into his curriculum as much as possible.
He was a board member and past president and Web site designer for the Massachusetts Association of Biology Teachers. He was director of the National Association of Biology Teachers' Selection Committee for the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award program for Massachusetts.
He had been a teaching assistant for ecology and conservation biology courses at Harvard Extension School and a consultant for outdoor science teaching projects for the Urban Ecology Institute.
The Brown & Hickey Funeral Home in Belmont has a brief notice.
YourArlington first published this story Sept. 7 and updated it Oct. 7.
Do you have memories of Mr. Bockler that you would like to share? To do
so, use the comment link below this story. Be sure to add your full
name.
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