The beginning
The Sun started life as The Alvin News.
“After 43 Nos. (issues), the Richmond Register dies to be resurrected as the Alvin News,” Brother Browning, who wrote in the Parsonage News, said in a front-page article.
“This speaks badly for Richmond and well for Alvin. Goodman is an elegant, high-toned gentleman and a good editor.”
Alvin News publisher V.A. Goodman produced a one-sheet news
paper printed on both sides. The first paragraph declared that they wished to say “The News would be conducted on a conservative plan, endeavoring to be extreme in nothing.”
One third of the front page and half of the second were filled with ads. One ad paid for by G.W. Durant, who sold real estate, was two columns wide and the full length of the page. There was no local reporter. An item says that “We will respectfully ask the citizens of Alvin to report all interesting news items to this office. In other words, let every citizen be a local reporter for the news and we will have an interesting local department.”
There were 300 bona fide subscribers in Fort Bend County and Goodman had hopes of 1,000 by October. New ownership
A statement from the Alvin Sun’s golden anniversary paper in 1940 says that Editor and Proprietor E.J. Birchfield took over the helm in 1892 and brought hope into a desolate community after the storm of 1900 and the devastating fire of 1902. Anderson were the publishers. Bob Gray, editor at the time the Alvin Sun celebrated its 50th anniversary, wrote “In tracing the history of Alvin Sun, we remember the early trial of J.D. Battle in 1893 and H.V. Alexander in 1891. We see Jim Twiford in the little building (on Pense Street) doggedly trying to carry on the Sun after the disastrous freeze of 1911.”
There is a discrepancy. According to the Alvin Centennial Book put out by Alvin Community College, Twiford bought the paper in 1918. He was the brother-in-law of the mother of Mrs. Thomas, who is the mother of Adelaide Jacob, late editor of the Alvin Sun. Charles E. Birchfield was the editor and proprietor during the 1900 storm. A quote from an early Alvin Sun published after the storm, Friday, Oct. 19, 1900, says that “The Sun office was slightly disfigured during the storm and our office was pied up somewhat, but we have overcome this state of affairs and we are now better prepared than ever to do update job printing, and on Oct. 12, he wrote “A large water tank has been raised near the railroad well for the use of the public. Nearly all of the tanks were blown down during the storm.”
Saturday night, Sept. 15, after the storm on Sept. 8, Birchfield wrote “We are under obligation to Harry Tolar, editor of the Commoner for valuable assistance in getting out this issue of the Sun, No. 16.”
Before the turn of the century, Charles F. Bailey was the publisher of the Sun, while Birchfield remained as editor. According to the golden anniversary edition in 1940, upon the death of Bailey, “Mrs. Bailey bravely took over the paper, bravely carrying on the torch.” Charley Bailey weathered the darkest period in Alvin, keeping alive the spark that was the Alvin Sun. A force for change
Mrs. John Beck had been the Alvin Sun’s publisher for six years in 1940 and Robert I. Bray was the editor and manager. Before that, from 1921-1934, her husband John P. Beck was described as having “an aggressive chin and dedicating the Sun to the advancement of the community, was the publisher.”
He was credited with bringing about concrete highways, paved streets, oil fields, the school system, water and sanitary system. Beautification and cultural programs, leadership of churches, clubs, district meets, athletics, the possibility of rice fields, dairying, poultry and manufacturing were all worked for and predicted through his foresight and chronicled by his pen as far back as 1921. Mrs.Beck retired in 1942 and sold the paper to Alger Jones (1942-46) and then Bill Moyar became the publisher and John Royner the editor. Myers was the publisher for a while with many editors who came and went. The Sun office was by that time in the middle of the block on Gordon Street, next to what was at one time Davis Cash Grocery. Printing was done on the side of the building and upstairs. The entrance to the Sun office was later moved around the corner to the side door. An office on Sealy Street let folks take ads without going up. Subscriptions were taken care of by paper boys who threw the papers, collected for them and kept track of the paperwork out of the pockets of bluejeans. A number of publications
There were several papers through the years, which included the Alvin Citizen, Alvin News, Gulf Coast Review and County News. They were all absorbed by consolidation. In 1979, there were two newspapers left in town, the Alvin Sun and the Alvin Advertiser. In 1979, the Sun owners bought the Advertiser, combining the two newspapers on Sunday to make the Sun-Advertiser and on Wednesday a weekly Advertiser was put out in addition to the five-day-a-week Alvin Sun. In her book, “Babe on the Bayou,” ACC History Teacher Ida Blanchette wrote “the paper published the Clarion, the (Alvin) high school paper as part of the paper for 40 years. Comic strips began appearing as a regular feature in 1926.”
She also noted that “the Alvin Sun scored a perfect 100 points in winning the first place plaque for news feature writing in a statewide competition with weekly papers published in towns of over 800 population. The Texas Newspaper contest was held by the Texas Press Association.”
M.W. Briner bought the Alvin Sun in 1948 and was owner-publisher until 1954 when he sold it to a group of businessmen. The group included Red Gubert, Guy Crouch, Al Welling, Tony Pugh, George Pearson, Glenn Thacker , Chet Morgan, Jack Beaver and Gene Bowen. The group of investors purchased the paper from Briner, and then bought the Alvin Citizen, housed in the old Alvin Hotel on Hardy Street, from Lester Hammer. The two papers were consolidated. Thacker stayed two years, then Gene Bowen came in as publisher and eventually became the owner. The 1954 mast listed Gene Bowen, publisher; Adelaide Jacob, news editor; George Jacob, shop foreman and John Barajas. A new era
Hartman Newspapers purchased the Sun in 1979 and remained owners until selling the paper to Moser Community Media, which took over ownership on Jan. 1, 2025. Bob Gilmore served as publisher from 1984-93, while Jim Schwind took over the helm in 1993 until his passing in 2015. Dan Moore then became the publisher for two years (2015-2017) with David Rupkalvis taking over from 2017-2019. When Moser Community Media took over the paper, David Rigas became the first publisher for the paper in almost six years. Rigas also handles the publisher duties for the Fort Bend Herald and Wharton County Journal. Many addresses
The Sun also held many addresses over the years. At one time it was located downtown in the 100 block of North Gordon and then around the corner on 107 E. Sealy Street, before moving to 201 E. House Street in November of 1977. With ground already broken on a new building on 570 Dula Street in 1997, the 201 E. House Street facility was destroyed by a fire in early March 1997. Alvin Fire Marshall Spencer Chaffin ruled the fire to be arson, “noting an accelerant was found at the front of the building.”
However, the Sun was quickly moved to temporary quarters in a portion of the All State Building at 400. House Street (across the street from the post office) and continued its longtime tradition of never missing a publication despite suffering through devastating circumstances. The paper then moved to 570 Dula Street once the building was completed in June of 1997 and stayed for the next 28 years. Incidentally, the paper recently found its way back to House Street at 218. W. House Street with the move taking place a few months after MCM took over. After all the trials and tribulations, The Alvin Sun is still here
