From its creation in 1933 until 1976, the Patrol did not accept female applicants for sworn officer or dispatcher positions, even though one newspaper (left) shows in 1933, former Lima Constable Gertrude Miller, applied unsuccessfully for an officer position.

But 1970s federal civil rights laws required the Patrol to lower - and later eliminate - its height requirement. This meant many changes for the face of the Patrol. In 1973, Dispatcher Judy Gahm of London, was promoted to the rank of communications technician, becoming the first woman to hold that rank and wear the OSHP gray.

A little later, in 1976, the Patrol first invited women to join its sworn positions in the 100th Academy Cadet Class. Only two females attended, and only Dianne Harris graduated to become the first female Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper.

In 1987, Trooper Terri Marlin became the first female officer to move up in rank, earning the title of sergeant and assistant post commander at Granville.

Lisa Taylor, who joined in 1985 with the 114th Class and retired as a Major in 2008, would become the first woman to move up as high as the rank of Major within the Division's ranks.

Today women make up almost 10 percent of the Patrol's sworn officer force and serve in a wide variety of positions including canine handlers and plainclothes investigators, as well as post commanders and other command assignments.

The first attempt to join the Patrol by a minority was that of African-American Sanford Roan, in 1940. But the extra-intense training led Roan to leave before graduating.

Louis Sharp was the first African-American cadet to complete the entire 13-week training period and graduate with the 44th Academy Class in 1955. Sharp was one minority member of nearly 700 white employees.

The next time a minority joined the ranks of the Patrol was in 1965, when Gilbert H. Jones signed up with the 69th Academy Cadet Class. With every promotion, Jones became the first African-American to serve in that rank. He also was the first to retire - in 1997 as lieutenant colonel - he was one of only two black state officers in the nation to serve in that rank.

After being named Post Trooper of the Year at Zanesville in 1994, Michelle Henderson's career was history in the making - she was the first African-American female to earn each promotion she received. Henderson was promoted to sergeant in July 2000, and lieutenant just five months later. She earned the rank of staff lieutenant in 2004, and that of captain in 2006.

The number of minorities has grown to about 15 percent of the Division's sworn personnel in 2008.