Ruth Ziolkowski

Ruth Carolyn Ziolkowski (née Ross; June 26, 1926 – May 21, 2014) was an American executive and CEO of the Crazy Horse Memorial, a South Dakota monument dedicated to Crazy Horse which was designed by her late husband, Korczak Ziolkowski.

Ruth Ziolkowski took over the responsibility for the construction of the monument following the death of her husband in 1982.[1][2][3][4][5]

Korczak Ziolkowski had been focusing on the completion of Crazy Horse's horse at the time of his death.[1] Ruth Ziolkowski changed course, ordering that Crazy Horse's face be completed instead.[1] She hoped that the monument would become a tourist magnet once his 87.5-foot face was finished, providing needed funding for the project.[1][2] Her prediction proved correct upon the face's completion in 1998 and the statue quickly became one of South Dakota's top tourist attractions. She oversaw the growth, expansion and progress at the Crazy Horse Memorial from the 1980s to the 2010s.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Ruth Ziolkowski, Who Was Instrumental in Crazy Horse Memorial, Dies at 87". New York Times. Associated Press. May 23, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Ruth Ziolkowski obituary: Driving force behind a decades-long project to sculpt a vast memorial to Crazy Horse out of the Black Hills of Dakota". The Guardian. May 27, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  3. ^ "Ruth Ziolkowski". South Dakota Hall of Fame. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  4. ^ Griffith, Tom (May 23, 2014). "Ruth Ziolkowski of Crazy Horse Memorial mourned". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  5. ^ Walker, Carson (May 22, 2014). "Ruth Ziolkowski, widow of Crazy Horse Memorial sculptor who made monument national draw, dies". Minneapolis Star Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved June 21, 2014.