Henry McClurg Publications

This section will feature downloadable and searchable PDF files of publications
related to Houston publishler Henry McClurg, who led a long line of newspapers,
so many that this page likely does not display them all. However the major ones
were the Montrose Star, Montrose Voice, New Voice and Houston Voice, which
spanned over 40 years.

If you can provide other issues of his publications for scanning purposes,
please contact me. I am displaying these in roughly year order. Access to to these
publications is courtesy of Gulf Coast Archive & Museum and The Botts Collection.

See this Tribute to Henry McClurg and his Obituary

Henry McClurg was a publishing force in Houston for decades, with quite a few different publications over the years The first, Contact, was national, and the rest focused on Houston. The history gets a bit confusing when various entities were sold. "Montrose Star" began in late Summer 1976 and by issue 70 was just called "Star." The 10/6/78 edition was billed "Last Issue," promising the return of "Montrose Star" the next week. All issues were 5 1/2" x 8 1/2." By 10/29/80 the "Montrose Voice" started, and included an intro saying the "Montrose Star" had ended in December 1979 after three years, when McClurg sold the paper.

"The Montrose Star," under that owner, failed after a few months, and McClurg, having a non-compete agreement was free to start again, with "Montrose Voice." The name was changed to "New Voice" in 1991 and the paper was sold in 1993 to Crad Duren, with Crad's lover Tad Nelson as Editor. On December 24, 1993 the name was changed to Houston Voice" (curiously, with no mention of the name change in that issue or the one before, it just changed). Nelson died in August 1995 and in December 1997 Duren sold the paper to Windows Media. Windows Media itself closed in November 2009, shuttering all its papers.
Contact, 1974-1975 (17 issue run)

Contact

More of a Gulf States paper, with a National bar guide. The March 1974 issue was the first. Contact was published during 1974-1975. Publisher is listed as Henry Parker, a pseudonym for
Henry McClurg. (11"x16")

Issue 1
3/74, PDF

Issue 2
4/74, PDF

Issue 3
5/74, PDF

Issue 4
6/74, PDF

Issue 5*
7/31/74, PDF

Issue 6*
8/28/74, PDF

Issue 7*
10/23/74, PDF

Issue 8
12/25/74, PDF

Issue 9
02/05/75, PDF

Issue 10*
03/19/75, PDF

Issue 11*
4/16/75, PDF

Issue 12*
5/7/75, PDF

Issue 13,
5/28/75, PDF

Issue 14
06/18/75, PDF

Issue 15
7/16/75, PDF

Issue 16
8/13/75, PDF

Issue 17
10/08/75, PDF


Contact was purchased by The Advocate,
which made sense as Contact was
acquiring a national distribution and was
becoming competition for The Advocate.
Most issues had a pull-out gay bar guide,
certainly an early source of this info
nationally. After the sale, McClurg worked
for the Advocate for year as regional rep.

 

Click for Additional Information
on Contact's staffing, and Henry's
story of the end of the publication
and some miscellaneous Henry stuff


The "Guide" section was certainly a
selling point (and in fact, unlike most,
it was not a free publication). It was an
extensive pull-out section covering the
whole country.

By the last issue, #17,
it had split into two editions,
Contact South for the Southern States,
and Contact, for the rest
of the country

Scans of issues with an * are courtesy of the
ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, I am very
grateful for their help in filling the holes in
this history. Thanks!

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Montrose Star, 1976 - 1979
The Montrose Star began in the Summer of 1976 (perhaps July), and with only a brief name change and then change back, lasted into 1980. Issue 19 listed Hal Deans as Publisher and "Henry (Parker) McClurg" as Editor. In Issue 50 the masthead states the "Star newspaper chain is owned by Montrose Star."

Issue 2, 07/23/76, PDF
Issue 6, 08/20/76, PDF

Issue 9, 09/10/76, PDF
Issue 10, 09/17/76, PDF

Issue 14, 10/15/76, PDF
Issue 15, 10/22/76, PDF


Issue 17, 11/05/76, PDF
Issue 19, 11/19/76, PDF
Issue 20, 11/20/76, PDF

Issue 21, 12/03/76, PDF
Issue 22, 12/10/76, PDF

Issue 23, 12/17/76, PDF
Issue 24, 12/24/76, PDF

Issue 25, 12/31/76, PDF
Issue 27, 01/14/77, PDF


Issue 34, 03/04/77, PDF


Issue 38, 04/1/77, PDF
Issue 49, 6/23/77, PDF
Issue 50, 6/30/77, PDF

After the 8/12/77 issue the name was changed to The Star, which ran from 8/19/77 to 10/6/78, (see below) and then reverted back to the Montrose Star name.

Note the Issue numbers
of the two remained intact as a series. In Issue 130 McClurg is again listed as publisher. The "last issue" of The Star refers to stories continuing in the Montrose Star.

 

At right, mostly during 1977 McClurg also published editions in other cities, like New Orleans,
Issue 17, 7/21/77, PDF

There was also a Metroplex Star, for Dallas


Name changed to The Star, 8/19/77 - 10/6/78
The Star
continued in the newspaper format through 10/1/77, issue 63, then changed to a
smaller size, weekly.

All issues were
5 1/2" x 8 1/2", except
for a few 4"x7" in the Spring of 1978


Issue 66, 10/21/77, PDF
Issue 68, 11/04/77, PDF


Issue 69, 11/11/77, PDF
Issue 70, 11/18/77, PDF


Issue 71, 12/02/77, PDF
Issue 72, 12/09/77, PDF


Issue 73, 12/16/77, PDF
 Issue 74, 12/23/77, PDF


Issue 75, 12/30/77, PDF
 Issue 76, 01/06/78, PDF


Issue 77, 01/13/78, PDF
Issue 78, 01/20/78, PDF

Issue 82, 02/17/78, PDF

Issue 87, 03/24/78, PDF
Issue 90, 04/14/78, PDF
pocket size, 4"x7"

Issue 96, 06/02/78, PDF
Issue 100, 07/01/78, PDF

Issue 112, 09/29/78, PDF

Issue 113, 10/06/78, PDF
Name changed back to Montrose Star, 1978 - 1980



Issue 130 3/9/79, PDF Issue 134, 4/9/79, PDF

Issue 136
4/20/79, PDF

Issue 138
5/10/79, PDF

Issue 139
5/17/79, PDF

Issue 142
6/7/79, PDF

Issue 145
6/2879, PDF

Issue 147, 7/13/79, PDF
Issue 148, 7/20/79, PDF

Issue 149
7/27/79, PDF

Issue 151
8/9/79, PDF

Issue 153
8/23/79, PDF


Around 1980 the Montrose Star was sold to businessman Bert Hollister, who shortly failed as a publisher and closed the paper. McClurg waited a few months and then started the Montrose Voice. At right is the only issue I have seen after the sale. No publisher name is given but it lists Bill Lubing as Editor.

Issue 195
6/12/80, PDF

Montrose Voice, 1980 - 1991

Montrose Voice

The Montrose Voice had
a long run, before the name change in mid-
February 1991 to the
New Voice.

For scanning, some pages of some issues were omitted, such as those with full-page ads, classifieds, personals, horoscopes, etc


Issue 1, 10/29/80, PDF



Issue 28, 05/08/81, PDF
Issue 42, 08/14/81, PDF

Issue 43, 08/21/81, PDF Issue 64, 01/15/82, PDF

Issue 65, 01/22/82, PDF
Issue 69, 02/19/82, PDF


Issue 70, 02/26/82, PDF
Issue 71, 03/15/82, PDF

Issue 72, 03/12/82, PDF
Issue 73, 03/19/82, PDF


Issue 75, 04/02/82, PDF
Issue 81, 05/14/82, PDF
Issue 82, 05/21/82, PDF

Issue 83, 05/28/82, PDF
Issue 84, 06/04/82, PDF

Issue 86, 06/18/82, PDF
Issue 87, 06/25/82, PDF



 Issue 88, 07/02/82, PDF
Issue 91, 07/23/82, PDF


Issue 92, 07/30/82, PDF
 Issue 93, 07/30/82, PDF


Issue 95, 08/20/82, PDF
Issue 96, 08/27/82, PDF

 Issue 97, 09/03/82, PDF
Issue 100, 09/24/82, PDF

Issue 116, 1/14/83, PDF
Issue 124, 3/11/83, PDF



Issue 150, 9/9/83, PDF

Issue 178, 3/23/84, PDF
Issue 192, 6/29/84, PDF

Issue 262, 11/01/85, PDF
Issue 295, 06/20/86, PDF

Issue 301, 8/01/86, PDF
Issue 309, 9/26/86, PDF


Issue 326, 01/23/87, PDF
Issue 327, 01/30/87, PDF
Issue 335, 03/27/87, PDF
Issue 348, 06/27/87, PDF

Issue 349, 07/03/87, PDF
Issue 364, 10/16/87, PDF
Issue 378, 01/22/88, PDF

Issue 399, 6/17/88, PDF

Issue 404, 7/22/88, PDF
Issue 417, 10/21/88, PDF
Issue 441, 4/07/89, PDF

Issue 536, 2/1/91, PDF
Dallas Gay News



Henry McClurg started the Dallas Gay News basically because there was no
gay paper there. He hired Don Ritz and Robert Moore to run the paper,
and the first issue was September 10, 1982. The one shown is #85,
from April 20, 1984, and is likely the last one, because Ritz and Moore,
logically, decided to start a newspaper in Dallas themselves, which
became the excellent publication Dallas Voice, still in existence.
Their first issue was May 11, 1984. More Dallas Voice history info...
and newspaper website and Voice UNT Archives

 

 

Issue 85, 4/20/84
PDF

Out in Texas, 1983

Out in Texas

Published by Jack Campbell, with Henry McClurg as Editor (apparently at the same time McClurg was heading the Montrose Voice). Campbell owned the Club Bath chain, and would therefore have some funding for this. It's good-looking, with many pages in color, 5 1/2" x 8"

I NEED MORE
OF THESE! HELP!

Issue 1, 3/3/83, PDF

 

 

Issue 2, 3/10/83

Issue 3, 3/17/83, PDF

 

 

Issue 4, 3/24/83

 

These seven, the ones
in color, are the only copies I have seen, but more were advertized
in the Montrose Voice,
the black & white ones,
as can be seen
on This Page

There were at
least 17 issues.
The holdings at the ONE Archives at the USC Libraries also end at #17.

Issue 5, 3/31/83, PDF

Issue 6, 4/7/83, PDF

Issue 7, 4/14/83, PDF

 

 

Issue 8, 4/21/83

Issue 9, 4/28/83, PDF

 

 

Issue 10, 5/5/83

Issue 11, 5/12/83, PDF





Issue 12, 5/17/83

Issue 13, 5/26/83

Issue 14, 6/2/83

 

 

Issue 15, 6/9/83

 

 

Issue 16, 6/16/83

Issue 17, 6/23/83
New Voice, 1991- 1993

The Montrose Voice changed its name to The New Voice on Feb 8 or 15, 1991, and then on 12/24/93 (#687) the name changed again to Houston Voice. Throughout the Montrose-New-Houston series the issue number sequence was maintained. New Voice was 11 1/2x17"

Some pages were omitted, such as those with full-page ads, classifieds, personals, horoscopes, etc

Issue 560, 07/19/91, PDF


Issue 573, 10/18/91, PDF
Issue 583, 12/27/91, PDF


Issue 594, 3/13/92, PDF
Issue 600, 4/24/92, PDF

Issue 612, 07/17/92, PDF
Issue 623, 10/08/92, PDF


Issue 636, 01/01/93, PDF
Issue 662, 07/02/93, PDF
Issue 663, 07/09/93, PDF
Issue 683, 11/26/93, PDF
Houston Voice, 1994 - 2014

Also in 1993 the Houston Voice was sold to Tad Nelson (via Nelson's lover Dr Crad Duren). Nelson died in August 1995, and Duren sold the paper in January 1998 to Windows Media, a conglomerate that owned a number of mostly Southern papers.

Issue 693, 02/04/94, PDF
Issue 711, 06/10/94, PDF
Issue 732, 11/04/94, PDF

Issue 763,06/09/95, PDF
Issue 764, 06/16/95, PDF
Issue 765, 6/23-30/95, PDF


Issue 797, 02/02/96, PDF
Issue 847, 01/17/97, PDF
Issue 869, 06/20/97, PDF

Issue 908, 03/28/98, PDF
Issue 923, 07/03/98, PDF

Issue 969, 05/21/99, PDF
Issue 975, 07/02/99, PDF
Issue 980, 08/06/99, PDF

Issue 1015, 4/7/00, PDF

Issue 1078, 6/22/01, PDF
Issue 1084, 8/3/01, PDF

Issue 1119, 4/05/02, PDF

Issue 1131, 6/28/02, PDF
Pride Issue

Issue size now
11 1/2x14"

At right is the historic issue covering the Supreme Court Sodomy Law victory, with pages relevant to that scanned

Issue 1183
6/27/03, PDF

 

 

[ issue #s were
no longer listed
after around
April 2004; 4/23/04
was issue #1226 ]

 

Pride Issue
6/25/04, PDF

Pride Issue
6/24/05, PDF

8/25/05, PDF



05/12/06, PDF
05/26/06, PDF
06/16/06, PDF

Pride Issue
6/23/06, PDF


Format size now 11x12", at right is the last one before the change to a monthly distribution.

 

9/1/06, PDF

In 2007 the Publisher was Ed Alvarez, and it had changed to more of a bar publication, though still with "content," printed on slick paper, 6"x9" with the issues having 30-40 pages. It changed to the new format in September 2006, a monthly, under temporary editorship of Joey Guerra. See article at bottom of page.

September 2006, PDF
December 2006, PDF

January 2007, PDF

 

Windows Media closed
all their publications in November 2009, but there were still several incarnations of the Houston Voice, before finally ending in March 2014. More
Montrose Gem, 2005 - 2011


Still another McClurg publication, begun 1/21/05. It was sold to Michael Gaitz, in 2010, with Deborah Bell as Editor, and when Gaitz died suddenly on Jan 31, 2011, the paper was shut down, with the last issue #151 being 2/11/11.
GEM stood for Gay Entertainment Magazine.

 

151 Issues, 1/21/05 through 2/11/11

See expanded
GEM Section

 

 
(New) Montrose Star, 2010 - present

The Montrose Star reborn, yet again, in March 2010, with McClurg as Publisher. In Nov 2010 sold to Laura Viillagran
& GLYP Media (publisher of Gay Lesbian Yellow Pages); 11" x 15",
bi-weekly distribution. More

Thanks to Henry for giving me digital files for the first 14 issues right before he died



Issue 1, 3/12/10, PDF

Issue 2, 3/28/10 PDF



Issue 3, 4/9/10 PDF

Issue 4, 4/23/10 PDF

Issue 5, 5/14/10 PDF

Issue 6, 5/28/10 PDF

Issue 7, 6/11/10 PDF

Issue 8, 6/25/10 PDF

Issue 9, 7/9/10 PDF


Issue 10, 7/23/10, PDF

Issue 11, 8/6/10, PDF

Issue 12, 8/20/10 PDF

Issue 13, 9/3/10 PDF

Issue 14, 9/24/10 PDF

 

At this point publication was sold and Laura Villegran is new Publisher/Editor

***

Special 1/23/10 Article on Aggies Gay Activism
PDF



Issue 17, 11/24/10, PDF

Issue 25, 03/16/11, PDF
Vol 2, # 17, 11/23/11, PDF

Vol 2, Issue 20,
01/04/12, PDF

Vol 3, Issue 7,
07/04/12, PDF

Vol 3, Issue 13,
09/26/12, PDF


Vol 3, Issue 20,
01/02/13, PDF

 

Vol 4, Issue 2,
04/24/13, PDF

 

Vol 6, Issue 2,
04/22/15, PDF
   
Montrose News, 2011
   

Still another publication... Montrose News

Henry told me there were four print issues. He didn't waste any time after the GEM folded, and immediately started this paper, though it was short-lived

Issue #1, 2/25/11, PDF
Issue #2, 3/11/11, PDF
Issue #3, 3/25/11, PDF
Issue #4, 4/08/11, PDF
 Additions are added often, so please check back


Early Star Scheduling, from 9/29/78 issue

Below, photos of the camera-shy Henry McClurg are rare, so sharing this one from 1997