75 Years Of News On 6: Beth Rengel

As News On 6 celebrates 75 years, we're catching up with some familiar faces from our past.

Beth Rengel anchored here for eight years beginning in 1989.

She was part of a blockbuster team including Clayton Vaughn, Jim Giles and John Walls.

The 90s: A Time of Big Hair, Big Fashion, and Big Names

It was a time when TV news was bigger than ever.

"Back in the 90s, you wore big hair, big earrings and big shoulders. I mean, Channel 6 had Dallas and Dynasty, and I copied everything that they wore," she said.

And there was no bigger name in Tulsa than Beth Rengel.

"I would wear these bright colors," said Rengel. "Look at this...bright orange."

A Larger-than-Life Team and Community Impact

By the time the former Miss Texas came to News On 6, she was well-known for anchoring at three other local stations.

In Tulsa, she joined a larger-than-life team with an influence that was bigger than the 6 and 10 o'clock newscasts.

"We would have the wildest wild weather shows. I mean, they'd fly us in on a helicopter. All the cameras were there. I mean we're getting off the helicopter and people are lined up," she said. "They thought we were movie stars, and we were just newscasters. And then we would go on the stage and my gosh..."

From weather shows to bus tours, Beth was a constant in the community.

"It was like a presidential type of campaign but they loved us. And then we would do a town hall meeting. I mean, we got out and reached and touched and hugged the people and that's what it's all about. Not just sitting behind a camera."

The Struggles of Balancing Career and Family

But it came at a cost. The schedule of a TV anchor isn't easy for a working mom.

"We would do an update and I would rush home, fix dinner and check homework, get her in the bathtub, blow-dry her hair, tuck her in bed. The nanny would come and then I would drive back as fast as I could to work. And then come home at 11 and try to hurry up and go to sleep because I had to get up and get her to school the next morning. That's hard!"

A New Chapter: Leaving TV News for Family

By 1997, Beth was ready to step away from the camera.

"I needed some freedom for myself."

The career that introduced her to newsmakers like Rosalynn Carter and Oprah Winfrey was standing in the way of someone more important.

"I was ready. I wanted to spend more time with Ana," she said. "My whole purpose in life was being a mother."

A Life Beyond News: Teaching Preschool and Loving Every Moment

These days, Beth spends much of her time with her daughter, Ana, and granddaughter, Bella.

Maybe you've seen Ana on TV.

"She does commercials all over town," Rengel said.

After a 25-year career in news and jobs in real estate and interior design, Beth now finds fulfillment in teaching preschool.

"Nothing makes your heart happy like being around a child that needs your love and wants to love you," she said. "You cannot buy what I get every day from school with these little ones."

Grateful for the Past, Happy in the Present

Beth doesn't regret her decision to leave the anchor desk, or her choice to stay in Tulsa.

"Tulsa became home. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else."

But she fondly remembers a time when big stories and big fashion shaped her life.

"This has been a great chapter in my life. It truly has, and I'm grateful to have had the experience of being at Channel 6 for so many years."