He Was A Father Figure To All And Died Heroically Trying To Save Kids
Our hearts are sadden after the catastrophic flooding hit central Texas with the lost of so many lives. The Kerrville Daily Times confirmed that longtime owner and director of Camp Mystic Dick Eastland died while trying to save and protect campers from the rushing floodwaters.
Eastland was described as a father figure to campers while they were away from their parents for six weeks during the summer.
He had four boys of his own and reportedly always put the safety of his campers first. Eastland would reportedly keep up with his campers, attending weddings and other meaningful moments.
One of Eastland’s past campers said they learned a lot from him and weren’t surprised at all when hearing that he risked his own life to save campers as floodwaters came through.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers. He had already saved so many lives with the gift of Camp Mystic,” said Paige Sumner. Amidst the catastrophic Fourth of July Flooding, the City of Kerrville Emergency Management has established a reunification intake line for parents of campers who are unaccounted for.
If you do not know where your camper is, call 830-258-1111 and say the name of your missing person and you will be directed to a shelter. For other missing persons, call 830-257-8181.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families.
