Local Folks: Tyler Hodges
Many know Tyler Hodges as President and Head of The Bolles School. Many don’t know him as a family man—a husband and a father.
Hodges lives in a household among five females: his wife, Tristan; his daughters, Madalene (15) and Hannah (12); and his dogs, a 5-year-old goldendoodle named Murphie and an under-a-year-old Maltese shih tzu mix named Florence, whom they call Flo. “I’ve learned to acclimate after growing up with only brothers,” Hodges said.
According to Hodges, Madalene is introverted, like her mom. It takes her a little longer to make friends, but when she does, they’re strong and rich bonds. Hannah is more like her dad, extroverted. “We jump in a little bit faster, and the other two tend to observe a little bit more. I think it’s a fun balance,” Hodges said.
Six years ago, the family moved to Jacksonville from Santa Barbara, California where Tyler had been working for a private school. “We didn’t know what to expect, but it’s been amazing! We love Florida because of the large number of sunny days per year,” he said. They are outdoorsy folks. “We love being outside, first and foremost.”
They came here so that Hodges could fill the position of Associate Head of School under Dave Farace, whom he had known only through mutual acquaintances. The two men became not only work associates but also best friends, and Hodges took over as Head of School when Farace left for Maryland three years ago.
In their free time, the Hodges family enjoys riding mountain bikes. Their favorite spot is in Colorado during summer, each carrying nothing more than a sack lunch and a bottle of water in a backpack. They like to explore the river areas there, as fly fishing is another joy of Tyler Hodges.
Locally, they like to head east for one of the beaches, anywhere from Atlantic on down. “We are really big beach people,” Hodges said of his family, and he added that it’s necessary for their relaxation and for their mental health.
“I think everybody needs to have their spot to go and decompress, to step away from the hecticness of life. The beach has always been an area for us as a family, regardless of where we’ve lived, California or here. It’s never too cold for the beach,” he said. The only time they will stay away is in thunder and lightning. Rain doesn’t stop them. “There’s not bad weather. There’s just bad clothing choices,” has always been his saying.
“I love to surf! I love the warm water here. It’s such a nice change,” Hodges said. He grew up in western NC, so knew nothing about surfing until he moved to California. Now, he estimates he’s put in hundreds of hours atop a surfboard. “I enjoy it even if I’m not catching huge waves,” he said. While he surfs, his daughters boogieboard and his wife relaxes on the sand and reads, sometimes with the dogs.
In fact, the entire family loves to read. Some days, they can be found tucked throughout different areas of the house cozied up with their own books, drinking hot tea. At times, they’ll collectively read the books that the girls have been assigned to read for school. “It’s always fun to come back a re-read some of the classics that you had read as a kid when you were in school yourself,” Hodges said. They used to try sharing the same copy, but, inevitably, someone would get upset over a missing bookmark and a lost place. So, now, they make sure there are four separate copies on hand.
“We’re just thankful. We’re so blessed to be in Jacksonville. This has been such an amazing community for us, professionally for me, and it’s been an amazing educational opportunity for my girls,” said Hodges.
By Mary Wanser
Resident Community News
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading... 
