Letter to the Editor: Submitted by Jan Pfiffner

To the Editor:

This is a story about my dad. Chris Ronnfeldt was born June 8, 1904. When he was a baby, his family moved from Nebraska to South Dakota.

When Chris was four years old, he ran in front of a sickle mower cutting off his leg just below his knee. He spent a whole year in the Sioux Falls hospital recovering. At that time, his family was not able to visit him much because they were busy at home. He was all alone being cared for by the nurses at the hospital.

He was resilient learning to make the most of his situation. He accepted his condition and he didn’t give up. He was fitted with a “wooden leg” so he could walk.

When Chris was in his twenties, he learned they were looking for workers in Lansing to help build the Black Hawk Bridge. He traveled to Lansing and was immediately hired to work. He was a hard working man doing whatever jobs they asked him to do. He offered to climb, as he was not afraid of heights. He pounded the shear studs (pegs) into the steel beams.

One day, he was walking to the worksite with his boss. His boss said to him, “Chris, why are you limping?” My dad laughed and pulled up his pant leg to show his wooden leg. His boss said, “You will not work another day here. You are fired.”

A door closed. How would you react? My dad never looked at the bad side of a situation. He tried to look for something good. He went on to work road construction, never letting his disability define him.

It is now August 2025. The Black Hawk Bridge will close, and it will be taken down. Progress is moving forward for a new bridge. How should we react? Do we look for a positive to come out of a difficult situation? Do we do our part to make a difference or rely on others? Are we resilient? How quickly will we recover from this situation?

Jan Pfiffner
Harpers Ferry