A couple of Sundays ago, I had to squeeze past Ernest Melcher, a Vietnam veteran, to get into the pew at church. As the service commenced, heading into Advent, Pastor Doria talked about the upcoming Christmas calendar. It took my mind a minute to connect the dots, but seated next to me, in the person of Ernest, was one of the most larger-than-life personalities I’ve ever known. Ernest is the husband of the late Mrs. Cindy Melcher, one of my favorite teachers of all time. For four decades, she not only taught at St. Paul but became the principal and was perhaps most well known for leading the annual Christmas play.