Melinda's Shakespearean training was with Tony Award winner Barbara Gaines at
Chicago Shakespeare Rep.
Screenwriter/Playwright Maurice Chauvet wrote roles specifically for Melinda in the film "Three-Fifty" and the stage play "That Place We Used To Live".
Her grandfather was contractor R.G. "Red" Aldridge known for his
work building highways in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. R.G. was also known for saving Kansas City's water supply during the Great Flood of 1951.