Camp Longhorn ‘mother’ Pat Robertson nurtured thousands of kids

FROM STAFF REPORTS

 On the first leg of their honeymoon, the couple spent some time on Inks Lake just outside of Burnet. It was there that Tex shared his dream of opening a boys summer camp on that lake.

The two weren’t just dreamers. Not long after that initial discussion, the Robertsons welcomed the first group of boys to Camp Longhorn. That first group numbered “one and a half.”

Since the humble openings, Pat Hudson Robertson served as camp mother to more than 100,000 youth during her 76 years at Camp Longhorn. On Feb. 6, she passed away.

Born on July 20, 1918, in Ferguson, Missouri, to Robert “Bob Bob” and Lucile “Honey” Hudson, Pat Robertson found her way to Texas after the family moved to Dallas when she was 8. The summer after graduating from Highland Park High School, a young man at the Dallas Country Club caught her eye.

He was a University of Texas student enjoying time at the club’s pool. This young man turned out to be Julian Robertson, but everybody knew him as “Tex.” It was the first time she saw Tex, but she told friends he was the man she would marry.

Not long after, Pat did just that. It would usher in a life of love and adventure.

While the first camp brought in a couple of boys, as word spread and the couple worked Camp Longhorn, the numbers soon grew. In the years leading up to World War II, the camp grew to 40 boys. The war, however, forced a short break in operations but quickly resumed when Tex returned from active duty.

In 1950, Camp Longhorn expanded to include girls. During the time of rapid growth, Pat and Tex were also busy raising five children of their own.

In 1975, they opened a second site, Camp Longhorn Indian Springs.

As well as serving as camp mother for more than seven decades, Pat also wrote the lyrics to the camp song. Her amazing ability to nurture each child’s self-esteem and help them feel welcomed is illustrated by the camp motto, “Everybody is somebody at Camp Longhorn.”

Pat was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years; her parents; and brothers Bob and John Hudson. She is survived by sons, John and wife Donna, Robby and wife Deidra and Bill and wife Carol; daughters, Sally Lucksinger and Nan Manning and husband Bobby; as well as 18 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Interment will be on Church Mountain with a service for the immediate family. The Camp Longhorn family is planning a celebration of life to be held at Camp Longhorn Inks Lake in the spring. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial donations be made to the Seton Williamson Foundation for the benefit of Seton Highland Lakes Hospital, 201 Seton Parkway, Round Rock, TX 78655; or to the Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame (www.tsdhof.org), 45 Lake Forest Circle, Conroe, TX 77384.

editor@thepicayune.com