While Griffin was a high school student there, she joined the Maitland Davis stock theater company, working with the troupe for four months.

[4] In 1916, Renick joined the Redmond stock company, debuting on June 1 in San Jose, California in When Knighthood Was in Flower.

[6] After some time working in films, she went to the Fulton Theater in Oakland, California to be the leading lady in its productions.

[11] Given Renick's status as a popular starring actress, the cancellation received front-page coverage in The San Francisco Examiner and the Oakland Tribune, with additional reporting inside.

[10][12] The First Unitarian Church of Oakland quickly invited Renick to speak to their congregation the following week, but she declined after receiving a letter with a death threat.

[14] In her mid-20s, Renick married Wellington N. Bellford, who was arrested shortly afterward in January 1924 in Oakland for impersonating an Army officer.