Betty Boyd, a longtime Tulsa television personality and former state legislator who was a pioneer for women in both fields, died January 6, 2011. She was 86.
The Tulsa native became known as the “Queen of Tulsa TV” during her 25 years with KOTV channel 6 and KTUL channel 8. She wrote and produced her own daily and weekly shows, including The Betty Boyd Show, Boyd’s Eye View and Good Morning, Oklahoma.
Her television fame were a boon when she decided to run for political office. The Democrat was first elected to the state Legislature in 1990 at age 66.
As the representative for District 23 in east Tulsa County, she served five consecutive two-year terms, during which she put forth a number of education and health-related bills.
Boyd, a graduate of the University of Tulsa, began her television career in 1955, when she was hired to host a daily women’s show on KOTV.
She hosted Women's Page, a half-hour noontime series, and later became the station’s public affairs director.
In 1965, she joined KTUL in a similar role and delivered a series of popular shows, specializing in features and human-interest stories.
She left KTUL in 1980 to become director of information for Tulsa Vo-Tech and later did radio and television commercials.
Boyd was recognized with lifetime achievement awards from both Women in Communications and American Women in Radio and Television. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame in 1996.
As a legislator, Boyd co-wrote the bill that created Oklahoma State University-Tulsa. She wrote other bills pushing for the teaching of reading in earlier grades and expanding teacher and administrator training.
As a survivor of breast cancer, she also advocated on behalf of health issues as a lawmaker.
While serving in Oklahoma's House, Boyd was the oldest member, the only great-grandmother and one of only a few women to chair more than one committee.
She was crowned Queen of the Tulsa Centennial in 1997.
Survivors include a daughter, a son, a sister, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.