Hi, my name is Betsy (Byrd) Randolph,
and have I got a story for you.  

If you are one of those people who think your life happened by chance, fate, or somehow was a mistake, then you have to read my life story. I am living proof that nothing happens without a reason. Your tapestry of life, like mine, is woven by the divine fingers of the living God. Friend, I am here to tell you, He cares deeply about you. How do I know? Well, read my story and see if you don’t see similar patterns emerging from your own tale.

My story begins in 1970, in Artesia, New Mexico. My family moved from there, while I was still a baby, to Texas where both of my parents attended seminary at Arlington Baptist College. My father is a Baptist minister. My mother is a school teacher; together they have operated Christian schools in New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma for over 35 years.

Now, before you go judging me, recalling every heathen preacher’s kid you know, let me reassure you of one thing…I am no different. What I will tell you is this: I accepted Christ as my savior at a young age and have struggled with every temptation known to man. But no matter where I went or what I did or didn’t do, God never abandoned me. He has ordered every footstep I have taken and only now, looking back, can I see how He worked in my life.

At age 11, I moved with my parents and two brothers to Enid, Oklahoma. Even from an early age, I wrote poems and short stories and dreamed of being an accomplished writer.

When I was 15, my father started KBVV, a Christian radio station in Enid, thus launching my career in radio broadcasting. I hosted a weekly radio program entitled, “Music for the Young At Heart.” It featured up and coming southern gospel artists. While attending High School at Bethel Baptist Academy, I began working part-time at KNID, KCRC, and KXLS. All four Enid radio stations gave me experience in sales, production, and being an, “On-Air personality.”

After high school graduation, I moved to Springfield, Missouri, to attended Baptist Bible College and worked for KWFC radio. Then I was off to Arlington Baptist College in Arlington, Texas, where I worked for USA Radio Network News in Dallas in their marketing department. Then in 1991, I moved back to New Mexico where I worked for KTZA and KSVP in Artesia.

It was there, that I discovered my true calling - law enforcement. I began working part-time as a police dispatcher and detention officer with the Artesia Police Department.

The next year, I decided that I needed to go back to college to pursue my degree, so I returned to Oklahoma and joined the United States Army Reserves. After Basic Training and Military Police School at Fort McClellan, Alabama, I was assigned to the 346th Military Police Company in Wichita, Kansas.

I pursued Journalism at Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa, where I wrote for the college paper, The Maverick, and worked as the advertising editor. While interviewing the chief of police for a story in 1993, I received a job offer and became the first female police officer for the Tonkawa Police Department.

After graduating with an Associate’s degree in Journalism from N.O.C., I attended the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training in Oklahoma City and earned my police certification.

I subsequently fell in love and got married to a state trooper who was assigned to the training center. Shortly after the birth of my son, I began my career with the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety.

In 1996, I transferred Army Reserve units to be closer to home by joining the, “Iron Men of Metz,” 95th Division, 3rd Battalion, 378th Regiment, 2nd Brigade in Norman and graduated as the first female Honor Graduate of the 95th Division’s Drill Sergeant School at Fort Sill.

I graduated from Southern Nazarene University in 1998, with a B.S. in Organizational Leadership while working as a police officer at the State Capitol. I was promoted to sergeant as the first female police supervisor with the Oklahoma Capitol Patrol. I worked both at the Governor’s mansion and the State Capitol, before the Capitol Patrol transitioned to the Highway Patrol in 2004. I have worked patrol assignments in Oklahoma and Logan Counties. I am currently assigned to the Public Affairs Office as the spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety.

While walking the beautiful grounds at the Governor’s mansion one day, I discovered another passion - horticulture. That led me to go back to school for an Associate’s degree in Horticulture from Oklahoma State University in 2002. My emphasis is on landscape design. After moving to Guthrie in 2005, I was selected to serve on the Guthrie Forestry Advisory Board and have served as president of the board since 2006. I host a 30-minute gardening show called “Tree Tips” on Guthrie’s cable Channel 20, where we feature gardening, tree, and horticulture tips. I am a Master Gardener with the Logan County OSU extension office.

Recently, I completed a murder/mystery manuscript called, The Lying Kind. It’s about Cat Carlyle, a radio disk jockey that witnesses a murder and must overcome her low self-esteem in order to help solve the crime and catch the killer. The sequel, Never Leave Me Lonely, is well underway and promises even more twists and turns as Cat learns more about the world of law enforcement and the men and women that wear the uniform.

When I am not writing, working, or digging in the dirt, I enjoy spending time with my husband and son, riding our Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and logging miles on our cross-country excursions. I praise God daily that He has blessed me with such a rich and full life, a life that He orchestrated before the dawn of time.

I laugh when I tell people that I am ready to go home at any time. You see, when I was a kid, there were a few things I wanted to accomplish before they stuck my carcass in the dirt. I wanted to: be a writer, be in the Army, be a police officer, get married, have a family, and (after seeing Magnum P.I.) meet Tom Selleck. I’m not saying that I'm done living, but I have packed a lot of living into 29 years of life and you would be crazy to call that chance or luck.

That’s all I’m saying!

      Betsy Randolph