Pella man shares love of Lincoln in new exhibit

As a young boy, Ronald Rietveld began a love of learning that has stayed with him for decades and led to a career as a college professor. His love of learning also led him to a fascination with the United States’ 16th president and got him included in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill., as part of an exhibit. “What resonated with me was Lincoln came from such a humble background and he strived his entire life to educate himself,” said Rietveld of why he began to study Lincoln. “It was his drive to succeed even though he came from such humble beginnings and he always worked to move on, move forward, move up.” Rietveld shared Lincoln’s ambition. As a boy, he began to study and read everything he could abo