WASHINGTON, D.C. – Acting Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Donald E. “Del” Laverdure today issued the following statement on the recent passing of Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Chairman Stanley R. Crooks:
“Stanley Crooks, the late chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Minnesota, takes his place among the thoughtful, far-seeing and decisive tribal leaders that Indian Country has produced throughout history.
“He was a vigorous and dedicated advocate of tribal sovereignty and self-determination, and his commitment to the Dakota principle of sharing with others made him a leader in tribal philanthropy that helped to improve lives in many tribal communities in addition to his own. As the son of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s first chairman, Norman N. Crooks, and as a member of the U.S. Navy during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a time of great peril for the United States, Chairman Crooks had the timber to be a great leader.
“His efforts to improve the lives of his people and others across Indian Country, and his leadership and vision on matters affecting all American Indians, will be deeply and sorely missed.”
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