Scholar

Ronald Medicine Crow said his father was always a good student.

“Dad was one of the fortunate few to go on to college,” he said.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, after beginning his studies at Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1928. He earned his master’s degree from the University of Southern California in 1939, the first Crow tribal member to earn a graduate degree.

“He was my role model, a trailblazer in his own right. He set the pace for others to emulate what he was doing,” Ronald Medicine Crow said.

He said that he’s met many people from his generation and others who have gone on to further their education because of his father.

“A lot of graduates have said that my dad was an inspiration to not stop their education and to go on to college,” he said.

Belgrade artist Ben Pease, who painted Medicine Crow in 2015, posted this farewell on his Facebook page: "To hear of an elder passing always takes a little more out of you. Grandpa Joe Medicine Crow: You've given us all so much to live by, learn from, and teach to new generations! Enjoy your journey to the Other Side Camp."