Camp Mystic director dies while trying to save kids during Texas flooding
Former camper, counselor remember Dick Eastland as ‘father figure’ who made the ultimate sacrifice
it is with our deepest regrets to report this, Camp Mystic director Dick Eastland, lost his life saving the kids at his camp that he purchased in 1974!
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.
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.
Dick Eastland, director of Camp Mystic, died while trying to save campers during a flash flood. (Camp Mystic)
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.”
Items lie scattered inside a cabin at Camp Mystic after deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, on July 5, 2025. (REUTERS/Sergio Flores )
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.
Officials search on the grounds of Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area Sunday, July 6, 2025, in Hunt, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
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. source
My friend, Dick Eastland: Locals mourn loss of Camp Mystic’s longtime owner and director
As I write this, I hear helicopters continuing searches. I don’t want to believe the extent of the tragedy in our community, especially the camping community.
Bubble Inn was my first cabin in the 1980s at Camp Mystic. I couldn’t wait to be like my sister and go to camp for six weeks. (Yes, now it is four, because summer break got shorter.) It meant independence and trying new things like horseback riding. I never imagined the lifelong impact and relationships of camp. source
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.
Camp Mystic director died saving campers from Texas floods
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.”
Where is Camp Mystic?
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.
Why was Camp Mystic hit so hard?
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. source