The Montrose GEM
2005 - 2011

Henry McClurg
Obituary


This page will feature downloadable and searchable PDF files related to Houston publisher
Henry McClurg's publication The Montrose Gem, lasting from 2005 through early 2011.
GEM stood for Gay Entertainment Magazine.
See the main McClurg Publication page.

Begun 1/21/05, it was first a small-size publication, growing to newspaper format by 2006.
In March 2010 it was sold to Michael Gaitz, (owner of Michael's Outpost), with Deborah Bell
as Editor, and when Gaitz died suddenly on Jan 31, 2011, the paper was shut down by his
family , with the last issue #151 being 2/11/11.

During the paper's last year before the sale you could see an increase in the number of
full-page bar ads and decrease in amount of "content." When Deborah Bell became Editor
the content improved markedly but ads had dropped off dramatically. When Gaitz died the
hole was too deep and it was too late to stop the financial failing.

Access to to these publications is courtesy of the U of H LGBT Resource Center

Michael Gaitz
Obituary

The Beginning, 1/21/05, 8 pages, 5 1/2"x8 1/2"

GEM-01-012105, PDF
GEM-02-012805
, PDF

GEM-03-020405, PDF
GEM-04-021105
, PDF

GEM-5-021805, PDF
GEM-6-022505, PDF

GEM-07-030405, PDF
GEM-08-031105
, PDF

GEM-09-031805, PDF
GEM-10-032505
, PDF

GEM-11-040105, PDF
GEM-12-041505
, PDF

GEM-13-042905, PDF
GEM-14-051305
, PDF

GEM-15-052705, PDF
GEM-16-061005
, PDF

GEM-17-062405, PDF
GEM-18-070805
, PDF



Format Change:
Issue #19
7/22/05, 8 1/2"x11"
mostly 16 pages,
in color

GEM-19-072205, PDF
GEM-20-080505
, PDF

GEM-21-081905, PDF
GEM-22-090205, PDF

GEM-23-091605, PDF
GEM-24-100705, PDF

GEM-25-102105, PDF
GEM-26-110305, PDF

GEM-27-111705, PDF
GEM-28-120105, PDF

GEM-29-121505, PDF
GEM-30-011306, PDF

GEM-31-012706, PDF
GEM-32-021006, PDF

GEM-33-022406, PDF
GEM-34-031006
, PDF

GEM-35-032406, PDF
GEM-36-040706, PDF

GEM-37-042106, PDF
GEM-38-050606, PDF

GEM-39-051906, PDF
GEM-40-060206
, PDF

GEM-41-061606, PDF
GEM-42-063006
, PDF

GEM-43-071406, PDF
GEM-44-072806
, PDF

GEM-45-081106, PDF
GEM-46-082506
, PDF

GEM-47-090706, PDF
GEM-48-092206
, PDF

GEM-49-100606, PDF

 

Format Change:
Issue #50
10/27/06,
11 1/2"x15"
mostly 12 pages

GEM-50-102706, PDF
GEM-51-111006
, PDF

GEM-52-100106, PDF
GEM-53-021506
, PDF

GEM-54-010507, PDF
GEM-55-012407
, PDF

GEM-56-022307, PDF
GEM-57-031607
, PDF

GEM-58-033007, PDF
GEM-59-041307
, PDF

GEM-60-042707, PDF
GEM-61-060507
, PDF

GEM-62-071307, PDF
GEM-63-072707
, PDF

GEM-64-081007, PDF
GEM-65-082407
, PDF

GEM-66-091407, PDF
GEM-67-100507
, PDF

GEM-68-101907, PDF
GEM-69-110207
, PDF

GEM-70-111607, PDF
GEM-71-120707
, PDF

GEM-72-022107, PDF
GEM-73-011108
, PDF

GEM-74-020808, PDF
GEM-75-022208
, PDF

GEM-76-030408, PDF
GEM-77-032108
, PDF

GEM-78-040408, PDF
GEM-79-041808
, PDF

GEM-80-050208, PDF
GEM-81-051608, PDF

GEM-82-053008, PDF
GEM-83-061308, PDF

GEM-84-062708, PDF
GEM-85-071108, PDF

GEM-86-072508, PDF
GEM-87-080808, PDF

GEM-88-082208, PDF
GEM-89-090508, PDF

GEM-90-100308, PDF
GEM-91-101708, PDF

GEM-92-103108, PDF
GEM-93-111408
, PDF

GEM-94-112808, PDF
GEM-95-121208
, PDF

GEM-96-122608, PDF
GEM-97-010909
, PDF



GEM-98-012309, PDF
GEM-99-020609
, PDF


GEM-100-022009, PDF
GEM-101-030609
, PDF

GEM-102-032009, PDF
GEM-103-040209
, PDF

GEM-104-041709, PDF
GEM-105-050109
, PDF


GEM-106-051509, PDF
GEM-107-052909
, PDF

GEM-108-061209, PDF
GEM-109-062609
, PDF

GEM-110-071709, PDF
GEM-111-073109
, PDF

GEM-112-081409, PDF
GEM-113-082809
, PDF

GEM-114-091109, PDF
GEM-115-092509
, PDF

GEM-116-100909, PDF
GEM-117-102309
, PDF

GEM-118-110609, PDF
GEM-119-112009
, PDF

GEM-120-120409, PDF
GEM-121-121809
, PDF

GEM-122-010110, PDF
GEM-123-011510
, PDF

GEM-124-012910, PDF
GEM-125-021210
, PDF

GEM-126-022610, PDF

 

GEM sold to
Michael Gantz;
Deborah Bell
becomes Editor
with Issue #127, 3/12/10

GEM-127-031210, PDF
GEM-128-032610
, PDF

GEM-129-040910, PDF
GEM-130-042310
, PDF

GEM-131-050710, PDF
GEM-132-052110
, PDF

GEM-133-060410, PDF
GEM-134-061810
, PDF

GEM-135-070210, PDF
GEM-136-071610, PDF

GEM-137-073010, PDF
GEM-138-081310, PDF


GEM-139-082710, PDF
GEM-140-091010, PDF

GEM-141-092410, PDF
GEM-142-100810, PDF

GEM-143-102210, PDF
GEM-144-110510, PDF

GEM-145-111910, PDF
GEM-146-120310, PDF

GEM-147-121710, PDF
GEM-148-123110, PDF

GEM-149-011411, PDF
GEM-150-012811, PDF

GEM-151-021111, PDF

     

 

A number of the images and issues are in bright colors and very white paper...those were printing proofs McClurg gave me; very glad to have them.

 


My evaluation of the GEM was that Henry McClurg had publishing newspapers in his blood, and he hadn't
had a paper since he sold the Voice in 1993, so he was ready to begin again, with a cautious start with GEM.
The small bar-rag format grew by issue #19 and again, to full size, by issue #50. That is great growth in just
22 months. The content was always VERY 'bar oriented," covering events and the personalities. From one point
of view I wished it had given better coverage to a harder line of community news (LGBT politics, organizations, etc)
especially considering that there were few other publications doing so. The Voice had pretty much faded
by 2006, so there was an information gap in Houston gay news in those years, lasting until the Montrose Star
began (again, by McClurg) in March 2010. I need to keep in mind the original name, Gay Entertainment Magazine.

But the GEM did do an excellent job on what was going on in the bars, and not just the main ones. It regularly
provided listings of more outlining bars that gay folks patronized that were not quite considered "gay bars,"
ones that did not even advertise in the GEM. It also is to be highly commended for its coverage of the bars in
Galveston, which got little mention in other Houston gay papers. So, if you want to do tracking of what bars
were open and when, this is a great source.

When Gaitz bought the paper (March 2010) there was a big shift to the style of coverage I much appreciate,
but the change also brought a sharp decrease in advertizing, with notable exits by full-page ads for long time
bars like The 611 and Ripcord. I have to wonder if part of that was due to the paper now being published by the
owner of another bar. Deborah Bell did an excellent job in upgrading the quality of the content and filling the
space, but she was getting aboard the Titanic.

See below for more background on the end of the GEM.

 

GEM Milestones