Gay Newspaper Publisher Kills Self After Long Illness

Donald J. Hauck, the publisher and co-founder of Update--San Diego’s first gay and lesbian newspaper--died at his home Monday.

Hauck, 62, ended his own life after a painful yearlong struggle with crippling arthritis, said Tom Ellerbrock, a friend and assistant publisher at Update.

According to coroner’s deputies, Hauck died of a gunshot wound to the head. He was found in his home, which was next to the newspaper’s offices.

Ellerbrock said one of Hauck’s goals was to “help (gay) people develop a sense of personal pride. He didn’t want people to feel they were less than anyone because of their personal sexual distinctiveness.”

An example of the paper’s influence can be felt today throughout San Diego, Ellerbrock said. The paper’s first story on March 23, 1979, dealt with alleged police harassment against two men who were jailed and arrested for dancing together.

Today, Ellerbrock said, there are strong ties between the Police Department and the gay community.

The tabloid-sized paper has a weekly circulation of 15,000.

Hauck was born in 1930 in Erie, Pa., and served in the Navy in the 1950s. Following his discharge, Hauck had a stint as a civilian employee for the Navy and then moved to Europe in the early 1960s.

Hauck settled in San Diego in 1965, working in the building supply and fencing business.

In the mid-1970s, Hauck formed his own company, Dawn Media.

“He was approached by a publisher in Los Angeles, who asked if he could be the distributor for various periodicals in the San Diego area,” Ellerbrock said.

It was while acting as a distributor that Hauck realized that San Diego needed gay and lesbian literature, Ellerbrock said. Update was launched and has been published continuously for 13 years.

Hauck, who was also one of the founders of the National Gay and Lesbian Press Assn., is survived by his father, Donald Sr., of Erie and a brother, Dennis of Maryland.

Before his death, Hauck requested that there be no memorial services.

His body will be cremated and his ashes scattered at Cancun, Mexico.