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 […]
The Way We Were: Larry and Mary Jane McKnight
The story of Larry and Mary Jane McKnight began in the first grade at Hendricks Avenue Elementary School, and it continues today, seven decades later. Both of them were born and raised in the San Marco area of Jacksonville—Larry on River Oaks Road with one younger sister and Mary Jane on a street just off […]
ANIMAL TEACHERS
When schools open in August, students will be welcomed back by more than just teachers, administrators and staff. In some school classrooms, a variety of friendly classroom pets and animal reading companions will enrich and expand traditional learning, according to longtime educators Ana Andenmatten and Laurie Wilbur. Both women are teachers and mothers with decades […]
Local Folks: The Tucci Family
Matt Tucci is the Jacksonville Market Director of Hardage-Giddens Funeral Homes and Cemeteries. Employed in an industry considered “first responders,” never able to shut its doors during the pandemic, Tucci has been working almost nonstop. “It keeps me pretty busy,” he said. But when asked what he and his family do outside of business hours, […]
Pet Domestic Rabbits
Inspired by the Story of Luke’s Sugar Bunny “There’s something out in the yard!” an excited four-year-old announced to family members gathered for a cookout. With so much food and conversation, it was pure luck that anyone noticed the small, mostly white and chocolate-spotted animal lounging in full view of resident hawks. It was a […]
Local Folks: Al Poindexter
Al Poindexter doesn’t have to go far to enjoy wildlife in the middle of the city. He simply steps out back of his Colonial Manor home. Fifteen years ago, during a remodeling project, Poindexter had a bulldozer dig a 10×14-foot pond, 20 inches deep in his backyard. He wanted a peaceful place to sit next […]
Local Folks: Brenda Star Walker
Brenda Star Walker of Murray Hill could hang your wallpaper, give you a massage, help you plant a garden, tell you all about the 28 Grateful Dead shows she went to in three years, sew a new creation for you, teach you to stand on your head in a yoga pose while discussing her philosophy […]
The Way We Were: Janne and Jody Brandenburg
She admits to being raised “like a brat” in Jacksonville. He grew up on a farm south of Florida City. She spent time in the limelight, in front of cameras, and on TV. He’s become known for his work with the bereaved in the death care industry. Their pairing has been compared to Mary Poppins […]
