We’ve lost an iconic figure in Tucson’s bar scene.
Tom Ziegler, most commonly referred to as Tiger, has passed away. He began bartending at Hotel Congress in 1959. When he turned 80 years old, the historic hotel renamed its bar Tiger’s Tap Room in his honor.
The Ziegler family released the following statement about Tiger, who had been featured in several publications like The New York Times over the years.
“It is with a broken heart that we share the news of the passing of our much-loved uncle Tom Ziegler, known to many of his friends and Hotel Congress family as Tiger.
“We will dearly miss him and his wit, wisdom, banter, and tales about the love of his life — the Hotel Congress and his namesake, Tiger’s Tap Room.
“The Hotel Congress was Tiger’s life! We love how he always acknowledged his Hotel Congress family, and his many customers as the reason for going to work every day and loving his job as much as he did. We will forever be grateful for the love shown to him and to our family by his Hotel Congress family. A very special thank you to Shana, Richard, Rebecca, and Todd for your continued love and support of Tiger and our family after his stroke.
“Tiger has become a legend — in our family and the City of Tucson. Our wish is that Tiger will always be remembered as a man who loved deeply and cared for his family, his Hotel Congress family, and his much-loved customers at Tiger’s Tap Room.”
The family is asking folks to save the date for his celebration on Saturday, January 11.
Stay tuned for more details.
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Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
