Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2021
Glynn Allyn Crooks was born Dec. 2, 1950, in Fort Hood, Texas to Amos Crooks and Rosemma Coursolle Crooks.
Glynn attended Shakopee High School, where he graduated in 1969.
After graduating, Crooks enlisted in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, serving as an administrative clerk aboard five U.S. Navy ships during his six years of service.
After returning from the Navy, Glynn took an active role in the leadership and growth of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, which achieved federal recognition as a sovereign tribe in 1969. Elected to four consecutive terms as vice-chairman, Glynn spent 16 years serving on the SMSC Business Council, proudly representing the tribe and its culture, history, and interests on both a local and a national level. A dedicated servant to his community and his Native heritage, Glynn was passionate about helping the SMSC and other tribes, never taking a single vacation during his 16 years of service.
As a longtime tribal leader, Glynn had the opportunity to meet with countless local, state and national leaders and often attended official ceremonies in Scott County and Washington, D.C., wearing traditional Dakota regalia.
In an article by Lynn Underwood in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Feb. 25, 2017, Crooks noted “I presented a peace pipe to Vice President Nelson Rockefeller,” pointing to a photo on the wall of that exchange in 1976 to commemorate the American Bicentennial. That was the start of a vast presidential memorabilia collection spanning the walls and displayed in rows of glass cases inside Crooks’s museum-style home at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Prior Lake and Shakopee.
Each grouping reflects his presidential encounters at White House events, along with photos, documents and artifacts that span the past four decades.
A large Presidential Seal decorating a wall catches the eye around every corner.
Crooks has met Ford, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton. He’s attended several inaugurations, including those of Bush, Obama and, most recently, Donald Trump. He paid his respects at the funerals of Ronald Reagan and Ford.
“Glynn has friends in lofty places,” said longtime friend Bernie Mahowald. “He was a great representative of his tribe.” While at the White House to attend Obama’s first Governors’ Ball, “someone came up from behind me and patted me on the back,” said Crooks. “It was the president. He looked so fit and trim.”
Crooks, a Navy Vietnam veteran, paid patriotic tribute to all the military branches, including a life-size mannequin dressed in an Army uniform and ready for action. Crooks organized, arranged, and decorated each space himself. “I dust every one of the cases,” he said.
The reproduction Oval Office was part of a 2,000- square-foot, two-story addition on the Crooks home, according to the article in Minneapolis Star Tribune on February 25, 2017
The main floor was what Crooks refers to as the “West Wing,” with two hallways packed with presidential memorabilia guiding you to the main event – the commander-in-chief’s light-filled workspace.
To get it right, Crooks did extensive research, using historical books with photos and other resources.
He’d hung reproductions of historic Oval Office paintings, such as the Abraham Lincoln portrait by George Henry Story. Then Crooks mingled his own pieces, including American bald eagle sculptures, which “stand for strength and wisdom,” he said.
Crooks was proud of his participation at many White House official events, his memorabilia collection, and his authentic facsimile of the Oval Office.
He often hosted open houses, fundraisers, holiday parties, and even invited local school groups to tour his “West Wing.”
“This is the closest some kids will get to the White House,” said Crooks, who was single and has an adult son.
Glynn also served as chairman of the SMSC Wacipi Committee for more than 25 years, helping the annual gathering grow into one of the largest Pow Wows in the Midwest. For the profound impact that he had upon the SMSC and for his devoted leadership throughout the years, he will truly be missed by those who had the privilege of knowing him.
Glynn Allyn Crooks, at age 67, passed away on Oct. 10, 2018, at home, surrounded by his loving family and friends. After the traditional All-Night Wake, Glynn was buried at the Tiowakan Spiritual Center at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community on Monday, Oct. 15, 2018.