Dick Eastland died a hero when he tried to save the lives of the campers staying at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas.
Eastland, 70, was the camp director and bought the camp in 1974. When floodwaters swept through his Christen summer camp, he tried to save the lives of his young campers and gave his life in the process, Fox News reported.
Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) wrote of Eastland’s devotion to the camp.
“Camp Mystic’s Dick Eastland no doubt gave his life attempting to save his campers,” Pfluger posted 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.”
Two of Pfluger’s daughters were at the camp and have since been reunited with their family.
A former camper said Eastland “was the father figure to all of us.”
“It doesn’t surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers,” Paige Sumner wrote in the Kerrville Daily Times. “He had already saved so many lives with the gift of Camp Mystic.”
Kathatine Somerville, a camp counselor, told “Fox News Live” Eastland was one of 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 flood hit. More than a dozen campers were confirmed dead as of Sunday afternoon, Kerr County officials said. One counselor and 11 campers are still unaccounted for.
