'Obviously, because of their location - adjacent to the Twin Cities - they had a great opportunity,' McCarthy said. That generated other successful business ventures and helped make the tribe's nearly 500 members wealthy. McCarthy says Crooks took over a gambling legacy in Prior Lake built by his father, Norman Crooks. You could be in a room with him and 10 other people, and you'd never know that he was chairman and such a powerful individual.'
'He had a passion for his people, and all Indian people,' McCarthy said. John McCarthy, executive director of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association, worked closely with Crooks. Crooks led the tribe for more than 20 years and had been elected to another four-year term in January.
