On that trip, Crooks bought a plate decorated with President Gerald Ford’s face. “I presented a peace pipe to Vice President Nelson Rockefeller,” said Crooks, pointing to a photo on the wall of that exchange in 1976 to commemorate the American Bicentennial. As a tribal leader and representative of the Shakopee tribe, Crooks is invited to the White House for special events, often donning Sioux Indian traditional regalia at many official ceremonies.
