Toftey landed tiger for Tech 25 years ago

Jack Toftey's five-year quest ended 25 years ago this coming week when a mounted Siberian tiger arrived at St. Cloud Technical High School.

Tech's nickname, of course, is the Tigers. And Toftey — the school's athletic director from 1982-92 — had long been on the lookout for the genuine article.

"I think I got the inspiration from seeing the elk they had down in Elk River," recalls Toftey, who lived on Mille Lacs Lake for many years after leaving Tech but is now in Sartell.

"That was cool. And I thought 'We should have a tiger.' So I started looking around and asking a bunch of game farms to call me if one passed away. One finally did and they asked me if I wanted it. We didn't have the money on hand. But I said yes and we'd figure out a way to pay for it."

The tiger, which had been born in a zoo in Chicago and died of natural causes in Wadena, had spent its entire life in captivity.

Cold Spring taxidermist Dean Salzl mounted the 700-pound animal. The total cost of the project was $5,500. But Toftey devised a clever way to cover that bill.

Shares of the beast were sold, allowing alumni, students, staff and other members of the community to sponsor parts of the tail, nose, legs and other body parts.

"It didn't take us that long at all," Toftey said. "I think we had it all paid for in less than a year."

The tiger was placed in a glass case in the lobby outside the school's gymnasium. It was mounted in a non-aggressive pose, so as not to offend or scare anyone.

"I wanted a fierce looking one, but other people didn't want it that way," Toftey said with a chuckle. "So we decided the tiger wouldn't be angry."

The nonthreatening tiger remains in place today, still greeting visitors to the gym.

"It's beautiful," current Tech activities director Andrea Swanberg said. "We take a lot of pride in it around here.

"It doesn't happen so much with adults. But you'll see a lot of kids going up to it and asking if it's a real tiger. It's fun to talk to them about it."

Toftey, too, is proud of the Tiger and how it has held up.

"Somehow it's come through very well through the years," Toftey said. "The kids have seemed to respect it. I have no idea if people nowadays think as much of it as we did when we put it in. But I think it's a pretty neat symbol for the school and I hope it lasts for a long time to come."

Five years ago (2010)

Anthony Falco, a convicted sex offender, was arrested in California and was expected to be charged with numerous counts of child molestation. He had been living in St. Martin in 2009 where he was dressing as a friar and telling people he was Brother Thomas Marie, a member of the Franciscan Brotherhood of Charity — a false identity.

10 years ago (2005)

Stefan's Dreamsicle scored 15,490 points to win that year's edition of KVSC's Trivia Weekend. Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women scored 15,255 points to finish in second place.

50 years ago (1965)

After 33 seasons, the St. Cloud State men's basketball team played its final game at Eastman Hall, defeating Moorhead State 78-73 to clinch at least a share of that season's Northern Intercollegiate Conference title.

Halenbeck Hall — the team's current home — opened for play during the 1965-66 season.

75 years ago (1940)

Just three days after Valentine's Day — on Feb. 17 — what police termed a "lovers' quarrel" sent 19-year-old Eva Brown of St. Cloud to the hospital with a stab wound in her left shoulder. The injury was not considered serious.

The wound was said to be inflicted by 22-year-old Milton Johnson, her escort for the night. The pair had been at downtown drinking establishments, and it was at the second bar they visited where the assault was said to have occurred.

Follow Frank Rajkowski on Twitter at @rajko1973.