Latest news with #PaigeSumner
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Camp Mystic director Dick Eastland dies while trying to save girls from Texas floods
Camp Mystic director Richard "Dick" Eastland died while attempting to rescue campers during catastrophic flooding that tore through parts of Central Texas. He is among 59 people confirmed dead so far in Kerr County. Of the victims, 38 are adults and 21 are children. Eighteen of the dead, including four children, have not yet been identified. Eleven children and one counselor from Camp Mystic in western Kerr County remain unaccounted for. Eastland, known for his decades of devotion to the Camp Mystic community along the Guadalupe River, was trying to reach campers affected by the rapidly rising waters when he lost his life, according to a column by Paige Sumner in the Kerrville Daily Times. Sumner is a former camper and longtime family friend of Eastland "It doesn't surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers," Sumner wrote. "He had already saved so many lives with the gift of Camp Mystic." Dick and his wife Tweety, who were cheerleading partners at the University of Texas, were admired by campers for their loving relationship. "When we looked at them, they were still that much in love,' Sumner wrote. Despite personal hardships — including the loss of their son James and, later, Dick's battle with brain cancer — Eastland remained close with campers and their families, "attending weddings and other meaningful moments." A father of four boys, he was often considered a father figure by the hundreds of girls who attended the all-girls camp each summer. Camp Mystic Guadalupe River is in Hunt, an unincorporated community in Kerr County. It's northwest of Houston and less than two hours from San Antonio. The camp sits on the banks of the Guadalupe River and roughly 18 miles northwest of Kerrville. According to its website, Camp Mystic is "located near the geographical center of Texas." Camp Mystic's close proximity to the Guadalupe River also left it vulnerable to flood waters. The National Weather Service's Austin/San Antonio office recorded the Guadalupe River's gauge at a 22-foot rise in about two hours. — Houston Chronicle reporter Shakari Briggs contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Camp Mystic director dies in Texas floods while trying to save campers
Fox News
06-07-2025
- General
- Fox News
Camp Mystic director dies while trying to save kids during Texas flooding
The camp director and co-owner of Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, died in the catastrophic flooding as he reportedly raced to save the lives of his young campers. Dick Eastland, who purchased the camp in 1974, died after the wall of water crashed through the Christian summer camp, which is located along the banks of the Guadalupe River, Texas Public Radio reported. The report cited a Facebook post from Eastland's nephew, though the post has since been taken down. Counselors, former campers and politicians who knew Eastland praised him for his heroic actions and ultimate sacrifice to save his campers. "Camp Mystic's Dick Eastland no doubt gave his life attempting to save his campers," Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, wrote on X. "For decades he and his wife Tweety poured his life into loving and developing girls and women of character. Thank you Mr. Eastland. We love you and miss you." Pfluger said two of his daughters were at the camp when it was evacuated during the flooding, and they have since been reunited. Paige Sumner, a former camper and friend of Eastland, wrote in Kerrville Daily Times that Eastland "was the father figure to all of us" during summers at the camp. "It doesn't surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers," Sumner wrote. "He had already saved so many lives with the gift of Camp Mystic." Kathatine Somerville, a camp counselor at Camp Mystic's Cypress Lake location, told "Fox News Live" on Sunday that the camp director was among the "most selfless men in the whole world." "He was an inspiration to so, so many," she said. "He was a father figure, a comforting force in the uncertainty of everything. He guided us in our faith and our activities. He always told us to make new friends and to share our love with everyone." There were 750 attendees at the camp when the catastrophic flood happened. Over a dozen campers were confirmed dead as of Sunday afternoon, Kerr County officials said. One counselor and 11 campers remained unaccounted for. The death toll across Central Texas climbed to nearly 70 on Sunday. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha told reporters during a news conference Sunday morning that of the 59 confirmed dead, there were 38 adults and 21 children. Authorities have reported four deaths in Travis County, three in Burnet and one in Kendall.
