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“Dobson’s Arc” is a book that blends science, math and art showcasing the history and theories of the world’s innovators and masterminds. The book stems from the lasting impact that a Woodside Elementary School teacher had on a student who grew up to become an artist decades later.
Duncan Dobson grew up in Woodside in the late 1980s, attended Woodside Elementary from second through eighth grade and lived in the second-biggest house on the historic Green Gables Estate. The 74-acre property, which was owned by the Fleishhacker family since 1911, sold for $85 million in September.
Growing up with a father who worked in the semiconductor industry, Dobson said his interest in math and science was rooted in his childhood. However, it wasn’t until he was in Bill Dolyniuk’s seventh grade algebra class that the concepts and equations really clicked in his head.
“I vividly remember Bill Dolyniuk writing some equations on the board and thinking, ‘Oh, I get it,’” he said. “When it clicks, it’s pretty cool.”
Dolyniuk, who primarily taught life and physical sciences and algebra, retired from Woodside Elementary in 2010 after teaching for nearly three decades. “Dobson’s Arc” is dedicated to Dolyniuk along with Dobson’s late father, Duncan Dobson Jr. and his high school calculus teacher Dan Kunkle.
Dobson wasn’t much of an artist as a child, but he discovered a passion for mixed media art in the 2000s. In 2017, he developed a specific style of collage paintings featuring notable people such as Isaac Newton, Marie Curie, Pythagoras and J. Robert Oppenheimer. He said some compare his art style to depictions of Orthodox Christian icons.
“I thought it was fun to have neon, glitter and metallic paint all around these boring old, 100-year-old scientists,” said Dobson, “I just thought it jazzed them up.”
“Dobson’s Arc” is a cumulation of nearly10 years of artwork bound into the form of an educational book that explains the inventions, formulas and theories of over 50 different scientists and mathematicians. Dobson credits his mother Lucy Dobson for giving him the idea to use his art in a book and encouraging him every step of the way.
A lasting impact
Dolyniuk had reconnected with Duncan Dobson’s mother, who invited he and his wife for lunch one day. It was then that Dobson and Dolyniuk reunited for the first time in over 30 years.
Dolyniuk said it was very gratifying to be able to connect with his former student again. He’s still in touch with a few others through Facebook, he added.
Even after decades, Dolyniuk said he remembered Dobson very well as an intelligent and talented kid who loved to talk and was always full of energy. He was surprised to learn that he had dedicated the book to him.
“I was both thrilled and humbled that Duncan (Dobson) would remember me in that vein and actually dedicate a book to me,” he said. “He’s really brought in the art asset of his endeavors, and combined it with his love of math and science and that’s quite an accomplishment”
With Dolyniuk’s help, Dobson was able to revisit his former elementary school in February to give a talk about his artwork and book to a class of sixth graders. He also worked with the art teacher to help the students make their own versions of collage paintings in his style.
“I hope that (the students) felt like if they wanted to make art, they can do what they want to do,” Dobson said. “Even if it seems odd or strange to others, you can still do it and show them what’s possible.”
Dolyniuk felt that the book was a great representation of STEAM, an acronym for science, technology, engineering, art and math. As a teacher, he had always tried to teach interdisciplinary lessons, showing “how all things are connected,” he added.
“Math in a sense is an art and it’s also a language,” Dolyniuk said. “The numbers express an idea that can have lasting effects in the real world, and to understand those ideas, appreciate them and to see their beauty, I think you have to have some sort of art background or appreciation.”
