Stanley R. Crooks (November 27, 1941 – August 25, 2012) served as the

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the

Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC; Dakota: ''Bdemayaṭo Oyate'') is a federally recognized, sovereign Indian tribe of Mdewakanton Dakota people, located southwest of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, within parts of the cities of Prior ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

from 1992 until his death in August 2012. Crooks became a national

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

leader during his twenty-year tenure. He served in the

National Congress of American Indians The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is an Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American Indian and Alaska Natives, Alaska Native Indigenous rights, rights organization. It was founded in 1944 to represent the tribes and resist U.S. ...

, the longtime chairman of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association, and the representative of the Shakopee Mdewakanton to the National Indian Gaming Association.

Biography

Early life

Crooks' father, Norman Crooks, served as the first Chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. Stanley Crooks served in the United States Navy during the height of the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...

Chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

Crooks was elected Chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in 1992, the same year that the tribe's Mystic Lake Casino opened on the reservation. Crooks defeated his cousin, the incumbent Chairman Leonard Prescott, who had overseen the construction of the casino, in the 1992 tribal election. He would serve six-terms as chairman, spanning twenty years from 1992 to 2012. Crooks oversaw the economic boom resulting from the launch of the

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux employs more than 4,100 people for its casino and non-casino related businesses, with a total

payroll A payroll is a list of employment, employees of a company who are entitled to receive compensation as well as other work benefits, as well as the amounts that each should obtain. Along with the amounts that each employee should receive for time ...

of more than $154 million, as of 2012. Under Crooks, the Shakopee Mdewakanton donated more than $243 million to Native American organizations and other charities between 1996 and 2012. It has also issued more than $500 million in loans for

economic development In economics, economic development (or economic and social development) is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and object ...

since the 1990s. Stanley Crooks died of a heart attack at St. Francis Regional Medical Center in

Shakopee, Minnesota Shakopee ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Minnesota, United States. It is southwest of Minneapolis. Sited on the south bank bend of the Minnesota River, Shakopee and nearby suburbs comprise the southwest portion of Minneap ...

, on August 25, 2012, at the age of 70. He was survived by his wife Cheryl, and two daughters, Cherie and Alisa. Vice Chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, Charlie Vig, succeeded Crooks as Chairman following his death, as required by the Shakopee Mdewakanton constitution. The tribal secretary and treasurer Keith B. Anderson became the new Vice Chairman. Vig called Crooks "a leader in every sense of the word" adding that, "He was a true mentor and a true leader. We join with his family, friends and all those who were privileged to know Chairman Crooks in mourning his passing."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crooks, Stanley 1941 births 2012 deaths Chairpersons of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Native American leaders People from Pipestone, Minnesota