Deer Mountain Day Camp was founded in 1956 by Mel Katz, then a twenty seven year old teacher.  A camp director since he graduated from college, Mel realized his dream of owning his own camp when he purchased a bungalow colony named The Woodlands and started Deer Mountain.  His wife Rita, also a teacher, joined him at Deer Mountain when their youngest of two daughters was old enough to attend camp.  Together, they built Deer Mountain into one of the most well known and well respected camps in the industry.  Forerunners in the field, Mel and Rita implemented programs and activities that are now commonly found in day camps today.  Their alumni number in the tens of thousands and live across the country and around the world.  Above all their professional accomplishments, Mel and Rita valued the individual connections they made with the campers and families that attended Deer Mountain through the years.  Certainly, this feeling is shared by the camp’s current Directors, Roberta and Carol, Mel and Rita’s two daughters.  To the Katz family, Deer Mountain is more than a family business, it is a family legacy.

Mel passed away in 2004 at the age of 74.  His wife Rita still visits camp almost everyday each summer.  Retired as an active Owner & Director, she enjoys her time spent at camp and her involvement in the camp program.  Always a teacher, she has developed a large following in her knitting club.