How one Wichita woman’s donation helps others digitize old slides, CDs for free

Around 2014, Melinda Lou Fultz started visiting the Midwest Historical and Genealogical Society, which not only became a special place for her during what would be the final years of her life, but now her estate is having a lasting impact on the nonprofit.

When Fultz died from ovarian cancer at age 70 in 2023, initially half of her estate was supposed to go to the society.

“We had this wonderful idea,” said Ann Boll, the society’s president. “Why don’t we set up a space where we can take old technology, paper stuff, and turn it into current technology to keep it safe for the future?”

She called it rescuing memories.

The executor of Fultz’s estate liked the idea so much, Boll said that she said, “OK, all of Melinda’s estate is coming to you guys.”

“It wasn’t a whole lot of money, but to us, it feels like a fortune,” Boll said. “We can barely keep the lights on most times.”

The society’s new digital preservation center, which it has dubbed Melinda’s Corner, also aligns with what interested Fultz.

“Melinda was fascinated by technology,” Boll said.

Fultz had, as her obituary said, “physical and processing challenges throughout her life.”

“Part of the reason she enjoyed coming to MHGS so much was we just accepted her for who she was and made her feel welcome,” Boll said.

That’s even though “her filters didn’t always work.”

“She was always saying something that was very blunt but very accurate and always making us laugh at that.”

Boll added that “we’re all kind of quirky, so Melinda just fit right in.”

What services are available at Melinda’s Corner?

There are a variety of services available at Melinda’s Corner, and Boll said the hope is to keep growing what’s offered.

So far, services include data transfers from 3.5” floppy disks, CDs, DVDs and most memory cards.

There’s video digitization from VHS tapes, DVDs, 8mm film and Super 8 film.

Also, there is a variety of scanning available, such as from slides, prints, negatives and larger formats, including ledgers and scrapbooks.

Or, as Boll put it, “All of this really old stuff that I remember when it was new technology, so that’s embarrassing.”

There’s also something the society calls genealogy file format conversion with Ancestral Quest, Legacy, PAF, Gramps, GEDCOM and RootsMagic.

Boll said the hope is to expand what it offers to 5.25” floppy disks and Zip drives. In addition, the plan is to offer audio transfers, too, from formats such as vinyl records, cassette tapes and microcassettes.

Blu-ray and Betamax support is something the society also is considering.

In addition to Fultz’s donation, society members answered the call to donate old equipment to help with the transfers.

“We’ve had so much fun getting donations from our members,” Boll said.

She said the processing area “looks kind of messy right now, but we’re working to make it more efficient.”

Transferring slides to digital and lots of testing

Melinda’s Corner still is in its early stages.

“We had our first customer on Saturday,” Boll said. “I was so excited.”

A woman wanted to transfer some slides because she no longer had a way to view them except to hold them up to a window for light to see them by.

She also had some VHS tapes she wanted to digitize, but the society hadn’t tested that part of its system yet.

“She was sort of our guinea pig.”

The society, which is at 1203 N. Main St., is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Appointments aren’t necessary, but anyone wanting to use Melinda’s Corner is encouraged to call first to make sure technical advisers are there.

“We’re here to help you figure out how to make it work,” Boll said.

However, anyone using the equipment has to understand that the society is only there to help.

“We explain to them that they are in charge of this process,” Boll said.

If originals are damaged, she said, “We bear no liability because you are the one in charge of this process.”

Guests and members will be asked to sign a waiver saying that they understand.

Also, anyone using the service, which is free, should bring a USB drive to take files home.

‘All kinds of good things’

Boll said she believes Fultz would think Melinda’s Corner is fun, and she would like the idea of how it can help others.

“She would be delighted.”

The society already is planning another way to use what Fultz left, which it will announce this summer, and also honor her American Indian heritage.

“She would be really thrilled about that one,” Boll said.

According to Fultz’s obituary, “Melinda was a proud citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and enjoyed attending its Wichita events.”

Boll said Fultz’s estate “will give us the ability to do things that we’ve been thinking about doing but didn’t have the money to pursue, and they happen to be things Melinda would enjoy.”

Boll also hopes Melinda’s Corner can bring in more people who may not know the society exists.

“We’re hopeful for all kinds of good things to come out of this.”