BEAVER HUNT EDITOR
If you’ve ever thumbed through a copy of HUSTLER, then you are no stranger to Beaver Hunt, a staple of the magazine since 1976. Morgen “Tex” Hagen has lovingly curated the amateur nude section for nearly two decades. But reader-submitted pussy pics are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg—Tex’s tale of toil dates back to the days of Columbus (Ohio, that is) and a rejection letter that would propel him to his higher calling.
HUSTLER: You are an O.G. HUSTLER editor from the heady days of Columbus, Ohio. Getting your foot in the door, however, was a mix of perseverance and “right place, right time.” Care to elaborate?
MORGEN “TEX” HAGEN: I managed to get my foot in the door at HUSTLER despite what its personnel director wrote to me on October 4, 1976. Before the pandemic had us working from home, his courteous rejection letter looked over my shoulder at the office: “Permit me to thank you for your interest and to wish you much success in your future endeavors.” By April 1977, my “future endeavors” were defined: I was hired as a temp until HUSTLER’s move from Columbus to Southern California the following January. When a copy editor witnessed a woman drowning during his lunch break, he abruptly resigned, and I was invited to fill his shoes.
Good Lord! So what do you recall about meeting Larry for the first time?
During lunchtime at the Columbus offices, a local TV news crew wanted to interview Larry. Looking for people to sit at some art director desks, Larry stepped into my digs. When I got up, he noticed that I had about 25 stitches in my upper lip from a hockey injury I’d sustained the previous night and subsequently told me I wouldn’t be needed for the evening news.
Were you editing Beaver Hunt from the get-go?
