And the Winner of Shakopee Patch's Person of the Year Is...

With 68 percent of the vote, Shakopee Patch's 2012 Person of the Year is the late Stanley Crooks, who was chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community for 20 years. Crooks of natural causes.

Crooks was one of three people who Shakopee Patch readers nominated earlier this month for their contributions to Shakopee.

Comments made in support of Crooks include:

D. Jorgensen: Stanley Crooks was also generous to Agencies and Organizations who were non-Native enterprises. The Sioux community grew from a knowledge that what you give returns to you. Generosity is innate in the Sioux Communities ...even in 4 of the poorest Counties in the United States in South Dakota. The SPIRIT lives on!

Antony Stately: Stanley Crooks was an amazing leader, not just for his own Dakota Community, but for other tribes throughout Minnesota and the entire United States. He also was a leader within the local and regional communities. Under his leadership, the SMSC Community expanded its financial entersprises significantly, which directly helped the tribe to become one of the largest employers in Scott County and a major contributor to the broader social, health, and economic well-being of Shakopee and the entire state of Minnesota!

Crooks received 73 of the 107 votes. The two other nominees were Amy Zellmer, photographer, and Doug Lake, owner of Pizza Ranch along with Jan Lake.

Thanks to all the Shakopee Person of the Year nominees for all you contributed to Shakopee.

Patch will have a story on Stanley Crooks in the future. If you have something you would like to share about his contributions to Shakopee, please email shakopee@patch.com.