Ms. Melny Trafford was a widowed Southern woman who was the wife of fictional late Alabama Governor Charles Trafford, who employed Jesse Tyler, an aged black man living in the south prior to the Civil Rights Movement in the episode of Quantum Leap titled "The Color of Truth" in Season one. The part of Ms. Melony was played by veteran character actress Susan French.
About Ms. Melny[]
Ms. Trafford, who could sometime be demanding, as Jesse's employer, is still kind and benevolent with him, often conversing on many things particularly in the area of civil rights, which she is a supporter of., A well-respected member of the community.
Sam, who leaps into Jesse in 1955, was assigned with the task of helping things change in the small Alabama town; speaking through Jesse, his modern-day racial attitudes cause consternation and unrest among the townsfolk, which almost lead to brutal consequences. Sam's true mission is to save the life of Ms Melony, who in the original sequence, dies in a automobile accident, in a collision with a train while trying to drive in town.
Beforehand, Sam and Ms Melny continue a discussion they were having about civil rights, with Sam telling her that one day things will change, and African Americans would unite and seek equality. He tells Ms Melny she can use her influence and respect in the town to encourage others to change. Ms Melny becomes uncomfortable and steers him away from the conversation by stating that she must drive into town to buy a new water pipe. Sam insists on driving her, aware that she is destined to be killed by the passenger train later in the day. As the hologram, Al, who in desperation tries screaming at her to stop the car, is somehow, almost miraculously, able to get her to her hear his warning, which she attributes to her late husband's spirit; she then stops the car in a nearby cemetery, avoiding the collision with the train.