The Nuntius & Our Community

The First Houston Gay Community Newspaper

The Nuntius & Our Community
and Update Texas/Weekly

The name means 'messenger,' and it often ranged to 30 pages,
with fascinating insights regarding the community

In the first issue of The Nuntius, they....er...spelled the name wrong on the cover and throughout. It's not "Nuntuis." They got it right the next month but that sort of dimmed the glow of the announcement, if anyone noticed.

The Nuntius was the first Houston gay community newspaper, lasting from mid-1970 and into 1976. It was edited by Phil Frank (real name: Floyd Paxton Goff) and it had a good mix of local news, gossip, drag and bar information and the ever-important bar listings, which is why many customers picked up these papers.

It was about 28 pages, starting at 8 1/2"x11", changing to 11"x16" and a more newapaper format with Vol 2-2. By February 1972 it had merged
with the Dallas publication Our Community, with both names on the cover. This was essentially to keep that publication alive. See the earlier Our Community issues below.

Volume 1-2 is shown twice, as I have a "customer annotated" copy, that has some interesting comments from the times.

Scans of issues with an * are courtesy of the ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, And a ** means the scan is from the U of H LGBT Resource Center. I am very grateful for their help in filling the holes in this history.Thanks!

Nuntius, 1970 - 1976

Vol 1-1, 7/70, PDF

Vol 1-2, 8/70** PDF
Vol 1-2, 8/70, PDF
customer annotated

Vol 1-3, 9/70* PDF

Vol 1-4, 10/70** PDF

Vol 1-5, 11/70** PDF

Vol 1-6, 12/70 PDF

Vol 2-1, 01/71** PDF

Vol 2-2, 2/71* PDF

Vol 2-3, 3/71* PDF

Vol 2-4, 4/71* PDF

Vol 2-5, 5/71, PDF

Vol 2-6, 6/71, PDF

Vol 2-7, 07/71 PDF

Vol 2-8, 8/71, PDF

Vol 2-9, 9/71, PDF

Vol 2-10, 10/71 PDF

Vol 2-11, 11/71PDF

Vol 2-12, 12/71 PDF

Vol 3-1, 1/72PDF

Note^^^

The above issue, Vol 2-8 will likely confound archivists and collectors. The first two pages say it is Vol 2-5, May 1971, but after that it is correctly called Vol 2-8, Aug 1971. If you do not look at the copy past page 2 you would misidentify it.

For Vol 3-2, this issue of the Nuntius was also Issue #12 of Our Community, from Dallas, a merger.
Earlier issues were on a stiffer paper stock and the shift also went to that used in a regular newspaper

Vol 3-2, 2/72 PDF

Vol 3-3, 3/72 PDF

Vol 3-4, 4/72, PDF

Vol 3-5, 5/72** PDF

Vol 3-6, 6/72 PDF

Vol 3-7, 7/72 PDF

Vol 3-8, 8/72 PDF

Vol 3-9, 9/72, PDF

Vol 3-10, 10/72 PDF

Vol 3-11, 11/72** PDF

Vol 3-12, 12/72PDF

Vol 4-1, 1/73 PDF

Vol 4-2, 2/73, PDF

Vol 4-3, 3/73 PDF

Vol 4-4, 4/73 PDF

Vol 4-5, 5/73 PDF

Vol 4-6, 6/73** PDF

Vol 4-7, 7/73 PDF

Vol 4-8, 8/73 PDF

Vol 4-9, 9/73** PDF

Vol 4-10, 10/73 PDF

Vol 4-12, 12/73 PDF
(there was no Nov issue)

Vol 5-1, 1 & 2/74** PDF

Vol 5-2, 4/74** PDF

The story, as I can piece it together.......
Issue Vol 5-1 gave an indication of winding down, or trying to. See a Letter to the Editor below, from Henry McClurg (Parker) announcing his own new publication, "Contact," which began in March 1974, lasting until 10/75.) Also, there was no November issue, and the first 1974 issue of The Nuntius was a combined one for Jan/Feb, and down to 16 pages, though it was back on thicker and brighter paper stock.

Note the gap after Vol 5-2, 4/74....up until then, Phil Frank is still Editor and it is still merged with Our Community.
THEN, I know of no publications in this 'family' until August 1975, over a year later.

Huge Changes....along comes Mel Plummer (see masthead below). He was already editing Update Weekly, since August 1975, lasting maybe 7 issues. But it's a weekly, and only 12 pages. And there was a big decrease in meaningful "content" and articles about the community. It's main claim was a regional bar listing.

He is convinced to take over the dormant Nuntius and merge it with Update Weekly. The two names are merged in December 1975.
The Update Weekly part is dropped right away, and we are back Nuntius Southwest, sometimes reverting to just Nuntius. He keeps it running until Oct 1976.
Yes, it's a confusing history.

Update Texas and Update Weekly

Sep 5 , 1975, PDF
this is the second issue

Sep 26 , 1975, PDF

Oct 17 , 1975, PDF

Oct 24 , 1975, PDF

Oct 31 , 1975, PDF

Nov 14 , 1975, PDF

Nuntius Southwest
...and finding that Dec 12, 1975 issue enabled me to connect the stories

Dec 12, 1975, PDF

Dec 19, 1975, PDF

Dec 26, 1975**, PDF

Jan 2, 1976**, PDF

Jan 9, 1976**, PDF

Jan 16, 1976, PDF

Jan 23, 1976**, PDF

Jan 30, 1976**, PDF

Feb 6 , 1976**, PDF

Mar 12 , 1976**, PDF

Apr 9 , 1976**, PDF

Apr 16, 1976**, PDF

Apr 23 , 1976**, PDF

Apr 30 , 1976**, PDF

May 7 , 1976**, PDF

May 21 , 1976**, PDF

June 11, 1976, PDF

July 23, 1976, PDF

July 30, 1976, PDF

Aug 6, 1976**, PDF

Aug 13 , 1976, PDF

Aug 20, 1976, PDF

Aug 27, 1976, PDF

Sep 10 , 1976, PDF

Sept 17, 1976, PDF

Oct 8, 1976** PDF

Oct 15, 1976, PDF

Oct 22, 1976, PDF

Oct 29 , 1976, PDF

The editor, annoyingly, did not use volume numbers, so start dates are uncertain.

When did this
publication end?

By this time it had some statewide competition: "Contact" (began in March 1974, lasting until Oct 1975), and "This Week in Texas" began April 1975. The Montrose Star began in July 1976.

Our Community, 1971 to 1973
The Dallas issues before the merger

Our Community

An early Dallas publication, shown here as it later merged with The Nuntius, in October 1972, and has a bit of Houston mention. Last issue was #11 (Jan 1972) and it did not merge with Nuntius until October 1972, so there was a gap.