Ever since her first summer as a camper, Jane wanted to one day have a camp of her own. It was that continuous desire that prompted her family to expand their camping interests beyond Camp Stewart for Boys by buying Heart O’ the Hills in 1976.

Jane has packed a great deal of learning and experience into her 45-plus summers of camping, not to mention the experience gained growing up at Camp Stewart. Jane was a camper at Mystic, Fern and Heart O’ the Hills as a girl, and was on staff at both Mystic and The Heart prior to becoming a Heart owner. She is past president of the Camping Association for Mutual Progress, a member of Christian Camp and Conference Association and the American Camp Association.

Jane’s forte in camping is programming, and the intimate knowledge of all the daily workings involved in making a summer camp operate smoothly and safely for the campers and staff.

Jane is an American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor Trainer, and has served on the board of directors for the Hill Country Chapter of the American Red Cross. She has been a National Rifle Association Basic Firearms Education Instructor.

Jane received her master’s in business administration from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio in December 2000. Her undergraduate degrees are in journalism and Spanish from the Texas Woman’s University in Denton. Jane also did graduate work in Spanish at the University of Buenos Aires while working at La Nación on an Inter-American Press Association fellowship.

She is an ordained elder, helps teach Sunday School, and sings in the choir of the First Presbyterian Church of Kerrville. Jane is on the board of trustees at Schreiner University, and the senior board at Presbyterian Mo-Ranch. She serves on the advisory board of the Riverside Nature Center in Kerrville. She is a past director of the Texas Lyceum Association, and is a life member of TWU Former Students Association.

Jane lives at The Heart with her husband, Dick Howell, and their son, Deen.

Ownership: The Ragsdales

                The Heart is owned by the Ragsdale family. Si Ragsdale (deceased) began attending Hill Country camps at the age of 10 from Galveston, and his lifelong passion for summer camping began at that early age. He was director of camps Fern and Rio Vista, and was program director for Texas Lion’s Camp before a decade-long career in chamber of commerce. Si and Kathy began their purchase of Camp Stewart in 1966. Besides his involvement in many aspects of camping, Si remained active with his church, Mo-Ranch, the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, many aspects of Chamber of Commerce, and the Modern Pentathlon Association.

Kathy Coffey Ragsdale’s influence at The Heart is felt in her food supervision, landscaping, remodeling and renovations of the facility. She works with Jane on many camp publications.

Kathy is the camp mother and business manager of Camp Stewart for Boys, is a graduate of the Texas Woman’s University with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and English. She was editor of the Daily Lasso, Redbud Queen, Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities, and was active in student government.

Following her graduation, Kathy worked for TWU in the admissions office. She is past national president of the TWU Alumnae Association, and she and Si were the first chairs of the TWU Parents Association. She is a life member of TWU Former Students Association and has been named a Distinguished Alumna.

Kathy is director emerita of the Texas Hunter-Jumper Association and San Antonio Charity Horse Show. She is a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Kerrville, CAMP and CCCA, and is on the National Board, Association of Independent Camps, and AIC liaison board member of the Texoma Section of American Camp Association.

Jeepers Ragsdale is the director of Camp Stewart, Jane’s brother, and an owner of both Stewart and The Heart. He has lived his entire life in the camp environment. Jeepers’ special contribution to The Heart is in the horse world. A widely recognized rider who won two gold medals in the 1986 U.S. Olympic Festival, and who was Texas and USA Zone 7 champion several times, he oversees The Heart’s horseback riding programs, staff, and horses. Jeepers is a Camp Horsemanship Association master instructor, nationally rated polocrosse player, and has ridden as whip for Kenada Foxhounds. A graduate of San Antonio Academy and Ingram Tom Moore High School, he studied at Schreiner University and in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. He is a director of the Texas Lyceum Association, on the board of the Hill Country Youth Ranch. He is a member of CAMP, CCCA, and the Tejas Vaqueros, and lives at Camp Stewart with his wife, Meredith, and their two small children.