The Island Packet from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina • D12

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Another section is de- voted to Kennedy, favorite Democrat, with photos of the glamorous president and first lady on the beach and even Bar- bie-size dolls of Jack and Jackie in formal attire. Crooks, a Navy Vietnam veteran, pays patriotic tribute to all the military branches, including a life-size mannequin dressed in an Army uni- form and ready for action. Crooks organizes, ar- ranges and decorates each space himself. dust every one of the he said. HISTORIC WORKSPACE The real Oval Office is in the West Wing, and where the president George W.

Bush, Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton. attended several inaugurations, including those of Bush, Obama and, most recent- ly, Donald Trump. He paid his respects at the funerals of Ronald Reagan and Ford. has friends in lofty said long- time friend Bernie Maho- wald. was a great representative of his While at the White House to attend first Ball, came up from behind me and patted me on the said Crooks.

was the president. He looked so fit and Crooks is bipartisan in his presidential passion. requires a special invita- tion from the White House. In 2003, Crooks decid- ed to bring the spirit of the Oval Office from Wash- ington, D.C., to his own home on the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux reser- vation in Prior Lake. So he tapped his friend Maho- wald, of Mahowald Build- ers in Savage, to help fulfill his vision.

laughed when he told me he wanted to build a replica of the Oval Of- Mahowald said. said he was going to bring a tape measure and take photos the next time he went But Crooks have to. He found the measurements online. The reproduction Oval Office is part of a square-foot, two-story addition on the Crooks home. The main floor is what Crooks refers to as the with two hallways packed with presidential memorabilia guiding you to the main event the commander- light-filled work space.

To get it right, Crooks did extensive research, using historical books with photos and other re- sources. He hired Design Associates from Prior Lake to draw up the plans. The construction took nine months, with the curved doors, crown molding and trim posing the biggest craftsmanship challenges, said Maho- wald. Each president can change the decor of the Oval Office, from the draperies to the oval- shaped area rug. Crooks has re-created the design sensibility from primarily the Ford and Reagan ad- ministrations.

hung reproduc- tions of historic Oval Of- fice paintings, such as the Abraham Lincoln portrait by George Henry Story. Then Crooks mingles his own pieces, including American bald eagle sculptures, which for strength and he said. The custom-made desk is a replica of the famed Resolute, which was craft- ed from timbers of the H.M.S. Resolute a Brit- ish Navy ship. even has the door that little John- John played said Crooks, referencing the iconic photo taken during the Kennedy adminis- tration.

Next to the desk, the flag and the U.S. flag bring a patriotic spirit to the space. is the closest some kids will get to the White said Crooks, who is single and has an adult son. I sit at this he said, times I wonder what it would be like to be presi- JERRY HOLT Tribune News Service As a tribal leader and representative of the Shakopee Mdewakanton tribe, Glynn Crooks is invited to the White House for special events. He has amassed an extensive collection of American presidential history.

The memorabilia spans the walls and is displayed in rows of glass cases inside his museum-style home. FROM PAGE 1D PRESIDENTIAL Each grouping of memorabilia reflects his presidential encounters at White House events, along with photos, documents and artifacts that span the past four decades. LAUGHED WHEN HE TOLD ME HEWANTED TO BUILD A REPLICA OF THE OVAL OFFICE. HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO BRING A TAPE MEASURE AND TAKE PHOTOS THE NEXT TIME HE WENT THERE. Bernie Mahowald, longtime friend of Glynn Crooks and the builder who helped Crooks fulfill his vision.