| Our Lady of the Angels (OLA) School Fire, December 1, 1958 |
| Click a Room Number To View a List of Known Survivors of That Classroom |
| Mary Hall | Joseph Hall | Room A | Room B | 101 | 102 | 103 | 104 | 105 | 106 | 107 | 108 | 109 | 110 |
| 201 | 202 | 203 | 204 | 205 | 206 | 207 | 208 | 209 | 210 | 211 | 212 | Other |
| Mary Hall | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Michael DiCiolla | Boy | K | Brother of Colomba and Joseph DiCiolla. | |
| Clara DiMaso | Girl | 5 | K | Clara lived on Thomas Street at the time of the fire along with her parents Philip and Jessie DiMaso and, sister Rose Marie. “I was there the afternoon of the fire. I remember the sirens and comotion. Luckily, my babysitter who walked me to and from school made it out of the fire ok and came to get me to walk me home along with a friend of hers. I do not remember their names, but I would like to thank them for getting me home safely. As we were trying to get away from the school I remember seeing huge firetrucks and hearing people screaming and crying. The streets and sidewalks were very slippery because I remember falling.” |
| Rick DiPompeo | Boy | 5 | K | Rick attended morning Kindergarten and was fortunately at home at the time of the fire. "I was not directly involved with the fire. I was in the morning class and already at home. I lived on Christiana south of Chicago Avenue. I remember hearing the sirens and seeing the fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances all going very fast, westbound on Chicago Avenue. I saw fire trucks that I had never seen before flying down the street. I didn't know what was on fire, but I remember thinking, 'There must be a big fire someplace!' It wasn't until my sister, Lois, came home very upset, that I learned of the horror of the fire at the school. The 8th grader that walked my sister to school, didn't make it. I remember my mom saved all of the news clippings and pictures. We used to look at them alot afterwards." Brother of Lois DiPompeo. |
| Cheryl Curtis | Girl | 5 | K | “I remember the mother of one of the other children came running into the classroom crying that the school was on fire. Sister Mary Remi was the teacher in this class. We were told to go straight home. My house was right next to the convent, which was directly across the street from OLA. I have very clear memories of watching the street in front of our house as the mothers kept bringing out blankets and wrapping the children before the ambulances came to get them. My uncle, Andrew Salemi, and my aunt Maria Salemi were both in the school and were able to get out without injuries.” Niece of Andrew Salemi and Maria Salemi. |
| Mary Frances Gabel | Girl | 4 | K | Mary was one of the youngest students enrolled at OLA on December 1, 1958, because “my mother was allowed to enroll me in Kindergarten when I was 4 ½.” Fortunately, Mary was at home with a fever on the day of the fire, and therefore was not subjected to viewing the horrors unfolding at her school. |
| Diana Geanto | Girl | 5 | K | Today, Diana lives in arizona and has four children (Chrissy, Michael, Lisa and Allison), and is Nana to 13 grandchildren (as of December 2007). |
| Paula Jerard | Girl | 5 | K | Sister of Arther Jerard |
| Anthony Lombardo | Boy | 5 | K | Brother of Teressa Lombardo and cousin of Philip Tampone. |
| Tom Margherone | Boy | 5 | K | Tom transferred to a public school after the fire. Today he lives in Arizona, where he owns a restaurant. |
| Marty Raymond | Boy | K | Son of school janitor, James Raymond. | |
| Sharon Roman | Girl | 5 | K | Sharon lived with her grandparents and mother on Iowa Street, about three blocks from OLA. When her grandmother heard about the fire, she left Sharon's 3-year-old sister sleeping in the house to go search for Sharon. As it turned out, a neighbor found Sharon and took her home. From Sharon's other sister, Janet: "We all grew up hearing all the stories from my grandmother. My sister Sharon has never really talked about the fire." Today Sharon has two sons and a daughter, and one grandson. She lives in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. |
| Linda Schratzmeier | Girl | 5 | K | On the day of the fire, Linda's brother, Tom escaped from room 205 and ran to Mary hall to find his little sister, Linda. He then walked her to their home on Thomas/Kedsie, because their parents were at a funeral. Sister of Thomas Schratzmeier. |
| James Senorski | Boy | 5 | K | Brother of Lorraine, Andrew and Mary Senorski. |
| About this classroom: This was a separate building from the main school, located south of the church on Hamlin Ave. | ||||
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| Joseph Hall | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Sister Mary Ann Marie? | Teacher | 1 | (If you can verify whether or not this was the teacher in this classroom, please contact webmaster.) | |
| Barbara Andreoli | Girl | 1 | Barbara escaped without injury. Sister of Gerry and Randy Andreoli. | |
| Rick Cozzola | Boy | 6 | 1 | Rick's first grade classroom was on the second floor of Joseph Hall. |
| Patty Dooley | Girl | 5 | 1 | Patty escaped without injury. As she recalls, "It was almost the end of the school day and I remember a few moms running into our classroom hysterically crying. They told us that the school was on fire. Many of the students in my class were upset because they had older brothers or sisters in [main] the school building. Our teacher told us to kneel and say a prayer. My mom and other moms then began arriving. My mom walked me to stay at the Baby Shop on Chicago Ave. where my aunt worked. She then went to the scene of the fire to help walk students home. When my mom returned home that evening, everything that she was wearing reeked of smoke." |
| Matthew Jameson | Boy | 6 | 1 | Matt lived across Hamlin due east of the church. He was not injured. |
| Elizabeth Manganello | Girl | 1 | Sister of John Manganello. Elizabeth escaped without injury. After lunch, Elizabeth's brother, John, would walk her to the corner and watch her walk to her building before he went into the school. John perished in room 212. “He is missed to this day.” | |
| Michael Mason | Boy | 6 | 1 | Michael has been a firefighter and holds the rank of lieutenant for over 24 years in the Chicagoland area. He is a well known author, lecturer and instructor for the fire service throughout the country. He is married with 2 children and lives in Downers Grove, IL. Michael is also an accomplished jazz flutist and has produced the only known music memorial dedicated to this fire and his fallen classmates entitled Angels of Fire on Southport Records. All proceeds from this CD are donated to the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance programs and burn camps for children and adolescence In Illinois. Michael attended school with his 2 cousins, Nora in his 1st grade classroom in Joseph Hall, and Lorraine, a 5th grader in the main building. All escaped without injury. They were lead out of the buildings into the smoke filled streets but became separated and taken from the cold into local family residences. To this day, Michael remembers the smell and the chaos of fireman, fire engines, police, parents and bystanders as he scanned the crowd for his cousin Lorraine. He vaguely recalls waiting on the corner by the convent, across the street from the school, but does not remember who eventually took him home. |
| Donna Rizzo | Girl | 7 | 1 | Donna was taken into one of the nearby homes, where her dad found her that evening. Sister of Mark Rizzo. |
| James Sarantakos | Boy | 6 | 1 | “I remember losing some of my friends in the fire, and I have always wondered what became of Kenny Travers. My family moved away from the neighborhood in 1959. I also remember visiting the school in the early 1980's -- it felt very strange to be there again.” |
| About this classroom: This was a separate building from the main school, located south of the church on Hamlin Ave. | ||||
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| Room A | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Mary Buzzanca | Girl | 8 | 3 | Mary was at home the day of the fire, having been severly poked in the eye by her younger sister. After the fire, she was enrolled at Orr public school, and never returned to Catholic schools. Mary recalls that her father attended OLA, graduating in approximately 1940. “He was an alter boy and remembers cleaning the school and how much wax and polish buildup there were on the floors.” |
| Marie Formagus | Girl | 8 | 3 | Marie escaped physical injury but has never gotten the sights and sounds of that day out of her head. “If it wasn't for Rocco Longo I dont think my room would have known what was going on. We never heard an alarm, Rocco just noticed kids standing outside and told our nun. Sr Mary Jean Cecil went out of the room and told us to calmly go outside. I was one of the lucky ones that day, my cousin was not. Thank you to Rocco and Sister for saving our class that day.” |
| Andrew Senorski | Boy | 9 | 3 | Andrew escaped without injury. Brother of Lorraine, James and Mary Senorski. |
| Gail Wankowski | Girl | 8 | 3 | “I remember just starting to read in a new reader. I was standing. Then we heard about the fire. We all just left the classroom and went right out the door. We were lucky because the door was very close. We couldn't take our coats and it was cold outside. At first we were told to go into the church and wait. Then they told us to go home. On my way home I met my mother. She was coming for us. She hugged me under her coat because I was so cold. Then she told me to go home. She had to go and get my sister who was in first grade. All that night we watched on tv about the fire. Our relatives called us to see if my sister and I were ok. |
| Philip Zangara | Boy | 8 | 3 | Philip escaped without injury. “I was very lucky and had no injuries that day but I still carry that day with me and always will. As we stood across the street and watched, we had no idea of what was happening or why. Smoke, fire, children falling - everyone crying. Just before the fire, parents had been in that classroom, for parent teacher meetings. Knowing that I was in the basement, and the first report stated that the fire started in the basement, my father heard it on the radio and had no way of knowing if I was ok. He suffered a heart attack,and I lost him tem months later. There where many other victims of that day in our neighborhood, outside of the school building. I pray for them one and all. |
| About this classroom: This classroom was located in the southwest corner of the south wing basement. | ||||
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| Room B | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Sister Mary St. Xavier | Teacher | 4 | ||
| Dolores Arena | Girl | 9 | 4 | Dolores escaped without injury. |
| Doug Bartolo | Boy | 9 | 4 | |
| Tom Chiero | Boy | 4 | Tom escaped without injury. | |
| Gary Como | Boy | 9 | 4 | Gary escaped without injury. “We moved into the neighborhood in the summer of 1958. I did not know many classmates as the new school year approached. The day of the fire, at about 2:30 I was told by Sister Xaiver to empty the trash. Another classmate accompanied me, and for years I thought it was Tommy August. Over the last couple of years I have been in contact with Tom Chiero and in our conversations we discovered that we were the ones told to empty the trash. He also thought he was with someone else. We emptied the trash near the boiler room and stalled a bit before deciding to go back to class. As we made that decision the fire alarm sounded. While at the boiler room we neither saw or smelled anything unusual, so in our mind the fire alarm sounding could only mean a fire drill. Not knowing what was truely happening I was delighted at the thought of a fire drill as it surely would take up the few remaining minutes of the school day. Tom and I walked back toward our classroom which was adjacent to the designated exit. As soon as the cold air hit me I recall hearing the cries for help. We obediently walked across the street and stood on the SE corner of Avers and Iowa, for what seemed an eternity. I remember a fire engine pulling up and firemen jumping off well before it came to a stop. We were then told that we were to walk over to the church. When we were about half the way there someone grabbed my shoulder. I turned to see that it was my dad. He took me to our apartment at 1031 N. Avers and left me with the landlady. As did many other parents, my dad went back to the school to help.” |
| George Cutro | Boy | 9 | 4 | George escaped without injury, thanks to being in the basement classroom. |
| Judy Meisinger | Girl | 9 | 4 | Judy escaped without injury. “I was very fortunate to have been in room B the day of the fire; I remember Sister Xaiver looked confused when the bell rang, she walked accross the hall to room A for a few seconds and then returned and told us not to get our coats, as we normally did on winter days for a fire drill, and to exit the building, that this was a surprise fire drill. It wasn't until we were across the screet and facing the school did we realize the school was actually on fire. My memories of OLA and my classmates are treasures. I granduated eighth grade in 1963 and have managed to keep in contact with quite a few of my classmates; we have done a few class reunions over the years and everytime we are together it is as if we have never been apart. We are all survivors of that tragic day and we miss the friends we lost at such a young age, not really understanding the loss until we became older and truly realized that our little friends were never coming back. I truly feel the bond we all have is, in part, the loss we all shared, and knowing that it was only by the grace of God that we survived.” |
| Rebecca Morrissey | Girl | 9 | 4 | Rebecca escaped without injury and today lives in Elk River, Minnesota. She is married, has two grown children and a granddaughter. (Classroom unknown - south wing basement) |
| Louis Pasquesi | Boy | 9 | 4 | Louis escaped without injury. “Our classroom was located in the basement. When the fire alarm was sounded we lined up just as we had practiced and filed out onto Iowa Street. We stood across the street by the convent, thinking that it was a surprise fire drill. Unfortunately, the horror of the situation was before our eyes as we watched in helpless sadness. I learned later that day that my best friend Paul died in the fire. Many of my friends perished. My family thanked God that I was assigned to a classroom in the basement. My brother Jim was on the second floor in a fifth grade classroom and jumped onto the fire escape and made it out without injury.” Today Lou lives in the western suburbs with his wife Barb and three sons. He is a graduate of St. Ambrose College and Ballstate University. For the last 30 years, he has worked in Human Resources for Gonnella Baking Co. Brother of James Pasquesi. |
| William Quinlan | Boy | 9 | 4 | William escaped without injury. Today he lives in Orland Park, IL, and works for Loyola University Medical Center. Brother of Jack Quinlan. |
| Mary Kay Raymond | Girl | 4 | Mary Kay escaped without injury. | |
| Loralei Saraniec | Girl | 9 | 4 | Loralei escaped without injury. A Neighbor took her into their home where she contacted her family. "When I was picked up I could see the school on fire." |
| Dennis Skinder | Boy | 9 | 4 | Dennis escaped without injury. "We had no idea that the building was on fire until we got outside and saw the smoke and flames." Today, Dennis lives in Chicago with his wife and two children. Cousin of Don, Diane and Ray Traynor. |
| Gerald Allan "Al" Zochjowski | Boy | 8 | 4 | Al left the school and was no where near the fire scene. He now lives in Yuma, Arizona with his wife of 33 years (Carol), their two children and four grandchildren. |
| About this classroom: This classroom was located in the northwest corner of the south wing basement, adjacent to Avers Avenue and the school courtyard. | ||||
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| Room 101 | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Sister Mary St. Florence Casey | Teacher | Sister St. Florence, the school principal, and was substituting for Sister Mary Edgar on the day of the fire. She escaped without injury. | ||
| Sister Mary Edgar | Teacher | Sister Mary Edgar was absent the day of the fire and was therefore uninjured. | ||
| Annette Carbona | Girl | 8 | 3 | Annette escaped without injury along with her brother, Michael, who was a 6th grader in Miss Coughlin's class. She later graduated from Holy Name Cathedral. Today, she is married, with two children, and resides in a Chicago northwest suburb. |
| Maria Compiani | Girl | 8 | 3 | Maria escaped without injury, as her room was right next to the exit. "I was a student of Sr. Mary Edgar’s class, room 101, and was 8 years old, in 3rd grade. I graduated from Mundelein College on Sheridan Rd, with a BA in English. I have my own home in Palatine and no children. I am very thankful to be alive today!!!!" |
| Lois DiPompeo | Girl | 8 | 3 | Lois escaped without injury. "I escaped without physical injury but can remember the sights, sounds and smells of that day as if it were yesterday. I will never forget its horror. We were getting our coats from the cloakroom when the fire alarm sounded. I will never forget the look on Sister Mary St. Florence's face. As principal of the school, she had no idea what was happening. None of us did. We hurried out the door, most of us without our coats and pushed ourselves down the stairs. Our assigned area was in front of the convent and as I turned around I saw the thick, black smoke pouring out of the second-floor windows. I heard the screams of the students at the windows. The first fire truck to arrive stopped in front of the rectory and as a fireman ran to the door we screamed, 'The fire's over here. The fire's over here.' After more fire trucks arrived, the nuns herded us into the church to pray. While in the church we heard the roof collapse, the students screaming, parents calling out the names of their children. The smell of smoke permeated the air. It was a living hell. For years I lived with the guilt of being a survivor, but eventually realized my reason for surviving. As a journalist, I've been able to write about the school fire, helping to heighten awareness of fire safety. Also, as a school board member of a suburban high school district for the past ten years, I've served as an advocate for safe schools by supporting health and life/safety referenda, urged state legislators to lift health and life/safety mandates out from under the tax cap, and talked to students whenever asked about fire safety. After graduating from OLA in 1964, I attended Madonna High School and went on to Northern Illinois University to earn a degree in journalism. I've worked as a journalist since 1972 and have been an active PTA volunteer for more than 20 years, serving on the Illinois PTA State Board of Managers in the late '90s. Married for 30 years, my husband and I have a daughter, 25, and a son, 21." Sister of Rick DiPompeo. |
| Joseph Dumovich | Boy | 8 | 3 | Joe escaped without injury. He later attended St. Mel High School and then joined the Des Plaines Fire Department. He recently retired after 28 years with the department, and now lives in South Carolina with his wife, Jane. |
| Lana Esposito | Girl | 3 | Sister of David and Linda Esposito, cousin of Don Muscolino. | |
| Linda Esposito | Girl | 3 | Sister of David and Lana Esposito, cousin of Don Muscolino. | |
| Dominic Florio | Boy | 8 | 3 | Dominic escaped without injury, along with his sister, Celeste. Celeste passed away at the age of 41 and has a daughter and a grandson. Dominic is married with one daughter and lives in Lake In The Hills. Cousin of Cynthia Campagna. |
| Jonathan Friga | Boy | 8 | 3 | Jonathan escaped without injury. He later attended East Leyden High School and the Chicago Conservatory of Music. He adopted the stage name Jonathan Cain, and went on to a successful musical career with the band “Journey”, among others. Today, he is married and the father of three children. |
| John Grizzoffi | Boy | 8 | 3 | John escaped without injury. He later attended Weber High School, joined the U.S. Marine Corp and fought in Vietnam. After his military service, he joined the Chicago Police Department. John lives in Chicago with his wife, Vicki. |
| Joseph Karkoszka | Boy | 8 | 3 | Joseph escaped without injury. He later graduated from Lane Technical H.S. He retired from the Air Force after 25 years as a Bomb Squad Specialist. He is currently employed as a civilian contractor doing explosives work worldwide. Brother of Christina and Henry Karkoszka. |
| Frank Lombardo | Boy | 8 | 3 | Frank escaped without injury. Today, Frank is married, has three children and two grandchildren, and lives in Palatine, Illinois. |
| Michelene Michals | Girl | 8 | 3 | Michelene escaped without injury. "I remember looking for my good friend, Judy Mika to be certain that she was okay. She was safe and looking for her brother, and he was uninjured. Of all the memories of that day, the fact that my mother found me amidst all the confusion is still a miracle to me." Michelene moved to South Dakota in 1963, and so did not graduate with her OLA class. Today she lives in the western suburbs with her husband of 31 years. They have two children in college. |
| Michael Padula | Boy | 8 | 3 | Michael escaped without injury. Today he lives in Gurnee, IL, and works for RR Donnelley in Bannockburn, IL. He and his wife, Lisa, have two children, Sarah and Anthony. Brother of Carol Padula. |
| John Pellettiere | Boy | 8 | 3 | John escaped without injury. John later married Janice Pomilia, a survivor of room 102. Today, John and Janice live in Long Grove, Illinois. |
| Mark Rizzo | Boy | 8 | 3 | Mark escaped without injury. “We lined up on Avers next to the convent after the fire alarm went off. I remember seeing black smoke coming from the south west windows of the school as we looked at it on Iowa. I remember running home without my coat. When I got home, my father, who worked evenings at the Tribune, asked what I was doing home a little early. He did not believe me when I told him the school was on fire. After the second time I told him he believed me. My sister, Donna, was in one of the buildings on Hamlin and could not be found for quite a wile. Luckily she was taken in by someone on Avers. My dad found her that evening.” Today Mark is a financial representative residing in Elgin, IL. He is philosophical about the fire: “Even though the fire was tragic, it helped to make me a survivor. I realize that no matter how bad things appear, some good will come of it eventually. A few years ago the school district wanted to close our neighborhood school that was built in the early 1900s. It is very similar to OLA. One of my clients worked for Neighborhood Housing Services and I asked him for his input. He wrote a letter that stated that when neighborhood anchors are removed the neighborhood tends to decay. I read that letter to the school board as well as stating that my observations of the OLA neighborhood reflecting that decay after the fire. With other people's input to the school board, the board decided to keep the school open. Two years later a multimillion dollar addition was added to the old building. Six new classrooms and a multipurpose gym was added. A person can only control how to react to a tragic event, not feel guilty about surviving, even though years later we come to realize that the nuns were wrong when they said 'God took the good ones.' He took those who fulfilled their life's work and left the rest of us to do ours, to the best of the ability that He gave us.” Brother of Donna Rizzo. |
| Joseph Scolaro | Boy | 7 | 3 | Joe escaped without injury and returned home with his 7th-grade brother, Augie, who lost several classmates. Joe attended St. Mel and later went on to earn his MBA from what is now Benedictine University. Joe and his wife Jean reside in Naperville and presently have two children in college. Brother of August Scolaro. |
| Dan Taglia | Boy | 7 | 3 | Dan escaped without injury. " I remember when the alarm went off some of us commented that it probably meant we were going to get free ice cream. We had no idea what it was about. When we got into the hallway, I saw smoke and kids coming down the stairs. Our room was right by the exit to Iowa street, so we got out fast. I stood in front of the convent and watched until a friend of the family found me and took me home. My mother was on Congress Expressway at the time and heard of the fire on the radio, and never remembered how she ever got home. Besides myself, I had two older sisters in the school. She knew that three kids in a school that small, with the death toll rising as she drove, that there was not much of a chance that we would all get out safely. We did get home safely and when my mother got home later, she came to the back door of the house, and when my Dad opened the door, she just said, 'Which one?'. I'll never forget that moment. My thoughts and prayers are with all the victims and families who shared a loss." Today, Dan is the owner and operator of the American Robotics Academy. "We teach kids from 1st grade through High School how to make and design remote/computer controlled miniature robots using all Lego materials. If anyone would like to contact me, that would be fine. I can be reached through our website at www.RoboticsAcademy.com." Dan lives in Houston with his wife and 16 year old son. |
| About this classroom: This classroom was located in the southwest corner the the first floor of the south wing. | ||||
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| Room 102 | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Miss Taddeo | Teacher | 2 | ||
| Sandra Amato | Girl | 7 | 2 | Sandra escaped without injury. "I witnessed many horrible things. We were escorted into the church for awhile, then were told to go outside. Because of the cold, my girlfriend and I went into an apartment building entrance where we were found by my very frantic mother. My mother was notified by our dear neighbor, Gloria, who was an 8th grader and was one of the few that escaped her classroom. Our family moved out of the neighborhood several months later. I remember the smell of the fire. After the fire, I can remember going through smoke damaged clothes collected from the buildings. I cannot have candles in my home and I am always very aware of fire exits." Today, Sandra lives with her husband in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has worked for the Veterans Affairs Hospital for 31 years. |
| Mary Konley | Girl | 7 | 2 | Mary escaped without injury and today lives in a western suburb of Chicago. Says Mary: "Our fire drill position was directly across Iowa Street, in front of the convent. We had to stand in our fire drill position and watch all the chaos. We were eventually taken into the convent, but then dismissed after a very short time ... My mother was in a panic because I didn't come home right away ... [she] eventually found me waiting with my friend's mother. I was definitely one of the lucky ones." |
| Carol Koziol | Girl | 7 | 2 | From Carol: “I was one of the children that was home sick the day of the fire. My family moved the next year, but the memory of the fire stayed with my mom all her life. She mentioned it every year on the anniversary date. We moved to Norridge, and there was another family in Norridge, the Kampanowski's, that lost two sons. Lately, it is amazing how many people I meet that lived in the neighborhood of OLA or had a family member perish in the fire. I now live in Elgin, Illinois with my husband and dog.” |
| Linda Ventrella | Girl | 7 | 2 | Linda escaped without injury. |
| Mary Lynn Senorski | Girl | 7 | 2 | Mary Lynn escaped without injury. Sister of Lorraine, Andrew and James Senorski. |
| Richard Wojnicki | Boy | 7 | 2 | Richard escaped without injury. He continued to live in the neighborhood but did not return to OLA. He graduated from Weber High School and St. Joseph's College in Renselaer Indiana. Today, he is an Engagement Manager with a professional services firm in Chicago. He's been married for 25 years to Maureen and lives in Elmhurst IL with his two adult daughters. |
| About this classroom: This classroom was located on the first floor of the south wing, adjacent to Avers Avenue and the small courtyard that separated the north and south wings of the school. | ||||
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| Room 103 | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Miss Herlihy (Later Mrs. Garrett) | Teacher | 2 | ||
| Patricia Addante | Girl | 6 | 2 | Patricia escaped without injury. |
| James DiGiulio | Boy | 2 | Jim escaped without injury. | |
| Connell Griffin | Boy | 7 | 2 | From Connell: “We had just moved to the 'big' school from Joseph's Hall. I remember we had only been back from lunch a short time when the alarm sounded. I was wearing my first pair of slip-on shoes and panicked when I nearly left them behind as we started to file out. I found myself standing in front of the convent looking for my brothers. At some point an elderly Italian lady, dressed all in black and not much taller than me, asked if I knew where I lived and walked me home to Karlov Avenue. I will never forget her.” Connell retired from the Chicago Police Department in 1884 after 22 years of service. Today he is a real estate appraiser living in Lockport with his wife and two sons, Nate, born in 1998, Gabe, was born in 2000. |
| Valerie Jean Johnston | Girl | 7 | 2 | Valerie was absent the day of the fire. “I was home with the flu that horrific day. My Mother says it saved my life -- she always said I would have gone (or tried to go) back in to look for my brother. His room, 108, was just below one of the worse spots of the fire.” Valerie's mom was pregnant with child number six but ran all the way to the school on icy sidewalks, only to find firemen pouring water into the area of room 108. She passed out and someone helped her get into a warm house nearby. “Sorry to say, I don't remember much about my classmates. Our room seemed so 'big' (high ceilings) to me. Sometime before the fire, our class had a talent show. I did a lip-sinc of 'Sittin' in the Back Seat with Fred' with 2 other girls. We dressed like the teens of the day and had a carved wooden 'microphone' to sing into. That is a sweet memory for me.” Today Valerie, married for 38 years (as of 2007), lives in Indiana, has two grown children and four grandchidren. Sister of Robert Johnston. |
| Betti Marino | Girl | 7 | 2 | Betti was in the washroom just before the alarm. "I stayed in the bathroom because I was scared and then the smoke started to fill the room and I ran out. I was running in the halls looking for my cousin, Joey Petruzzi. Could not find him and ran out of school unharmed. Joey was later found in the homes along Avers Ave. after midnight, unharmed." Today, Betti resides in Bartlett IL with her husband, Bob. She has 2 grown children, 4 grandchildren and one on the way. She works for Arrow/Zeus Electronics in Itasca. "Mary Frances Cerceo is my husband's cousin who was also a survivor and was in the same grade. I was reunited with her some years later while dating Bob." Betti is currently serving as President of Friends of OLA. |
| Livio Parolin | Boy | 8 | 2 | Livio escaped without injury. “Our station outside was at the corner of Iowa and Hamlin, across from the church.” Livio lived in the parish until 1969. He attended Gordon Technical High School with many other former OLA students. He attended the University of Notre Dame, and is today (2007) a practicing doctor of podiatry. He lives in River Forest, IL with Mary Ann, his wife of 31 years. They have four children, Elizabeth (Notre Dame), Kathryn (Princeton), Christpher (Santa Clara), and Thomas (Princeton). “Recently, while visiting Holy Family Church at Roosevelt and May Streets to book a wedding date for my oldest daughter, I saw a statue at the back of the church dedicated to the victims of the fire. I was told the statue was moved there when Our Lady of the Angels School was sold. |
| Thomas Patrasso | Boy | 7 | 2 | Tom escaped without injury, but lost his beloved sister Antoinette in room 212. Today Tom lives in St. Charles, Illinois with his wife, Kathleen, and teenage twin daughters, Laura and Kimberlee. They also have an adult daughter, Jennifer, son in law, Jason and a granddaughter, Skylar. Tom is a Real Estate Attorney working from his own office in St. Charles. |
| Beth Troka | Girl | 7 | 2 | Beth escaped without injury. Today, she is police officer. |
| John Vainisi | Boy | 6 | 2 | John escaped without injury. "I remember our teacher, Miss Herlihy (later Mrs. Garrett) and the look on her face the moment the alarm sounded. Some things are not ever forgotten." John later graduated from Weber and Lewis University. Today he is a Sales and Purchasing Agent in Chicago and lives in Westmont, IL with his wife of 31 years, Florence. They are anticipating the birth of a second grandchild, to their son Frank and his wife Tracy. Their daughter, Amanda awaits the return of her husband, Tom, from military service. |
| About this classroom: This classroom was located on the first floor of the south wing, next to the main exit on Iowa Street. | ||||
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| Room 104 | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Sr. Mary Faustina | Teacher | 2 | ||
| Teresa Cribari | Girl | 7 | 2 | Teresa doesn't recall which room she was in, but it was Sister Faustina's second grade class on the first floor. She escaped with only a scraped knee. Once outside the school, she watched second floor students jumping out of the windows. She was then taken along with her other classmates to a neighborhood house three blocks away. She waited there for a couple of hours until a neighbor found her and carried her home. "The most terrible day of my life. Looking at the clock and seeing that it was about 10 to 3 - I was surprised to think that it was a fire drill, but upon exiting the building and seeing the bright red-yellow flames shooting out of the building, I realized that this was not a fire drill! I am very thankful that I am alive today. I lost a very good neighborhood friend of mine that day - she was a 5th grader. I will live with this the rest of my life and I will always wonder why did I survive?" Teresa's family moved to Cicero shortly after the fire. Today, 2003, she lives in Niles, IL with her husband of 25 years and two children, Michelle who is 22 and Ricky who is 18. She has worked at New Trier High School in Winnetka for the past 13 years as secretary to the Director of Special Education. |
| Frank Giglio | Boy | 7 | 2 | Frank escaped the fire unharmed with the help of his teacher. "I walked out the front door and was told to go to the church. I haven't missed an anniversary mass yet. The one last night, 2003, at Holy Family Church was beautiful." Frank is married and living in the Western Suburbs. |
| Patrice Durkin Mayenschein | Girl | 7 | 2 | Patrice escaped without injury, except for minor cuts on her knees and palms of her hand from falling down. Once outside the school, she watched second floor students jumping out of the windows. Some men were catching some the the kids as they fell. Others kids were screaming for help, hanging out of windows. Before being taken into the church, Patrice looked back at the school building that was black with smoke. Drifting smoke filled the air, and burned the eyes of everyone around. Parents, panicked and trying to find their children, screaming out their names. Students, screaming, dazed or in shock, headed for the sanctury of the church. That is where Patrice found her grandmother waiting, and quickly ran to her. Soon her uncle Jim arrived at the church and the three of them left. When they arrived home, they watched in terror as the news unfolded on television. Later, Patrice moved to the South side, and then the Northern Suburbs, where she married. Today, (July 2006) she has 13 grandchildren. |
| Janice Pomilia | Girl | 7 | 2 | Janice escaped without injury. |
| Steven M. Schwarz | Boy | 7 | 2 | Steve escaped without injury. “I lived on W. Ohio Street. I remember the fire alarm, the class left the room as if it were a fire drill. I remember the hallway was filled with smoke, and the burning smell [I remember] even to this day. Leaving the building, it was bright, but cold. Some how I ended across the street with another boy, and decided to run home. My family moved to McHenry, Illinois the following June.” |
| Carol Vitello | Girl | 7 | 2 | Carol escaped without injury. "I am now 51, the mother of a 31-year-old son and grandmother to a 6-year-old grandson. I live in Lombard, Illinois and was formerly working for United Airlines until 9/11. I am attending school again to complete a new degree." |
| About this classroom: This classroom was located on the first floor of the south wing, next to the annex and overlooking the small courtyard that separated the north and south wings of the school. Carol Vitello recalls, "I believe I remember Ms. Herlihy was initially confused by the fire alarm. Normally, in winter during practice drills, there was a "coat alarm" which allowed you to go and get a coat on before the actual fire drill. Then there was a pause and a second alarm was rung to signal the actual drill. This time, of course, the warning alarm was not given and therefore the teachers were uncertain if it was an actual fire. I believe that the teachers on the first floor met in the hallway only to determine this was the real thing." | ||||
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| Room 105 | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Sr. Mary Johnita | Teacher | 5 | ||
| Julie Caruso | Girl | 5 | Julie escaped without injury. “What unspeakable memories we accrued in those few days. The first of those--actual visions of classmates screaming for help, hanging out of windows, with the hope that both the air and their throwing of textbooks would help their survival. The alarm went off--what a funny time for a firedrill. I left my father's fountain pen and a box of Luden's cough drops on my desk, thinking I would collect them when we returned. But as we left the room, I looked back - the hallway near the new section of the building was black with smoke. With no time to process this fact, we were lead to the church by Sister Johnita. There was such mayhem - parents, children, students, screaming, dazed or in shock, heading for the sanctury of the church. My sister Nina was on the second floor, in a room called the 'cheesebox' because it was so small. My eyes rested on one of her classmates. She was black with smoke and only had on one shoe. Where was Nina?? The girl didn't answer. I was shoved into the church and sat dumbly in a pew watching Sister go up and down the aisle, her hand in a fist, pulsing up and down. That never went away. A little boy cried out, 'My dad's a fireman.' He started to cry. How did we ever get through the throng of people crowding each other, pushing closer to the flames? I was out of the church - I must have been with my mother. I looked back, and saw a fireman carrying a nun over his shoulder, her arms swaying lifelessly with each descending step he took. You all know the rest. We went back the next day or the next, to look for our coats. The only object left standing was the statue of Our Lady - Our Lady of the Rubble, of Broken Hearts, and Lost Children. My sweet father was on call that day at Franklin Blvd Hospital. He didn't know if we were alive or dead. The burned victims kept streaming in. At midnight, he finally reached my mother. We were a fortunate family. My dad told us that there was a priest who faithfully visited the burned and broken children in the ward. He would joke with my dad and say, 'Hey Doc, Give me the shot!' And then leave the room in tears. His name was Father Joseph McDonnell. Father Mac gave the homily at the Christmas Mass which was held in the Alamo Theater. He said that Baby Jesus really wanted to have a great party so he gathered those special children round him. The tears are streamimg down my face. The memories are vivid and clear forty-some years later. What a funny time to have a firedrill......” Sister of Nina Caruso. | |
| Dan Consolazio | Boy | 10 | 5 | |
| John Felzan | Boy | 10 | 5 | John escaped without injury. He passed away in 2003 after a five year battle with cancer. Brother of Prudence Felzan. (Classroom unknown) |
| James Neagle | Boy | 5 | Cousin of Carol and Mike Neagle. (Classroom unknown) | |
| Mary Jane Nuccio | Girl | 10 | 5 | Mary Jane sat in the last seat of the 2nd row and “could look out the transom window and see the staircase that led out of the school onto Iowa Street. [I] was one of the first to get out of the school on 12/1 and thought it odd to be having a fire drill at the end of the day...mom found me and cousin Joan Tedesco in church, and led us through the alley to our home at 825 North Avers Avenue...we kept going out on the front porch and the firemen at the hydrant across the street kept telling us to get back inside -- they didn't want us to see what was really going on out there. We had just made our Confirmation -- all was right with the world!” |
| Angela Taglia | Girl | 9 | 5 | Married name Angela Wehrs. Sister of Dan and Joanne Taglia. Angela passed away September 8, 2004 after a 17 year battle with breast cancer. She was 55. She is survived by her husband Bob and children John and Jennifer. |
| Jolanda Verzani | Girl | 10 | 5 | Jolanda escaped without injury. Sister of Peter Verzani. |
| About this classroom: This classroom was located on the southeast corner of the first floor annex, next to the east exit on Iowa Street. | ||||
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| Room 106 | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Sr. Mary Alexis | Teacher | 4 | ||
| Cynthia Campagna | Girl | 9 | 4 | Cynthia escaped without injury. Cousin of Dominic and Celeste Florio. |
| Frank Vainisi | Boy | 10 | 6 | Today, Frank lives in the Northwest suburbs, having recently returned to the Chicago area after spending 10 years in Scottsdale, AZ. Frank is a National Sales Manager for Rose Packing Co. of Barrington, IL. He is very happily married to Candy, proud father and grandfather. Son Todd and daughter-in-law Katie have a daughter, Mira. Son Brian attends Arizona State University. |
| Catherine Vitacco | Girl | 10 | 4 | |
| About this classroom: This classroom was located on the first floor of the annex, nearest the classrooms of the north wing. It was one of only three classrooms with an exit leading to the school's single external fire escape. | ||||
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| Room 107 | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Mrs. Lorraine Kizior | Teacher | 3/4 | ||
| Michael Ancona | Boy | 9 | 4 | Mike escaped without injury. He “walked from [his] first floor classroom after the fire alarm sounded and watched from across the street as students jumped from the second floor.” His family moved to the northwest suburbs in June 1961, and today (July 2006) he lives in Elk Grove Village. He has been married for 36 years and is the proud father of two sons, ages 19 and 25. |
| Carmine Castrovillari | Boy | 9 | 4 | Carmine escaped without injury, and today lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Brother of Wayne and Annamarie Castrovillari, cousin of Carmella Comorato, and Sally and Donna Shillcut. |
| Linda Friedeck | Girl | 9 | 4 | |
| Joyce Peneschi | Girl | 10 | 4 | Joyce escaped without injury. Sister of Thomas Peneschi. |
| Rosemarie Saska | Girl | 8 | 3 | Rosemarie escaped without injury. “I remember that we were getting ready to be dismissed. We were starting to go row by row to get our coats, but before we could do that, the fire alarm went off. We all left and went to our designated spot across the street. I could see students calling for help at the second floor windows to the courtyard. I could see the fireman not able to get in. After standing there awhile, our class then went to the church to pray. I kept wondering where my brother was. He was in Miss Coughlin's class. After the prayers, we were dismissed and told to go home. This was when I found my brother (Larry Saska). We walked home without any coats. People stopped and asked why we didn't have coats - we told them that our school was on fire and we couldn't get them. We received many calls that night from family and relatives checking to see if we okay.” Later Rosemarie joined the Air Force where she met her husband and became Rosemarie Hollingsworth. Today she lives in Irving, Texas and is proud to have 3 daughters and 2 grandsons. Sister of Larry Saska. |
| About this classroom: This classroom was located in the southwest corner of the north wing on the first floor, adjacent to the courtyard and Avers Avenue. | ||||
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| Room 108 | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Joseph Cannello | Boy | 6 | 1 | Joe escaped without injury. (Classroom not certain, but definitely on the first floor of the main school building.) Brother of Phyllis Cannello. |
| Robert Charles Johnston | Boy | 6 | 1 | Robert escaped without injury. When the alarm sounded, his teacher had each of them gather their coats, lunchboxes and any other belongings. She first thought it was an end of the day drill. With hats, mittens and scarves, the litle ones marched out of the building. When she realized it was the real thing, the teacher began to distribute the children to the “neighbors.” Robert wound up in a home on Avers. He didn't remember his phone number, but was able to give directions to his home. With the traffic jams, he didn't arrive until after 6 p.m. From his sister, Valerie: “It was truly a miracle homecoming for the family.” Today he lives in Missouri with his fourth wife, Sharon, who is a nurse. He has 2 daughters and one son. He served his country with honor and his last assignment was to Ft Leonard Wood, MO as Staff Sgt, training troops. Brother of Valerie Jean Johnston. |
| About this classroom: This classroom was located in the southeast corner of the north wing on the first floor, adjacent to the courtyard and the annex. Split first and second grade class. | ||||
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| Room 109 | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Miss ? (Later Wilkins) | Teacher | The teacher in this room later married and became Mrs. Wilkins. Does anyone remember her maiden name (her name the day of the fire)? | ||
| Paul Caponera | Boy | 3 | Paul escaped without injury. He recalls standing in the aisle next to his desk, holding a push broom and dusting the floor at the end of the day. As the teacher was giving the class a homework assignment, the fire bell rang and “out I went ahead of the rest. I was the first one to open the doors out from the first floor that day. We lined up across the street for a while, watching, and boys opened the lower floor doors and smoke billowed out. Then we all went our different ways.” | |
| Robert Cool | Boy | 7 | 2 | Bob escaped without injury. He later went on to a distinguished career with the IRS, and today lives in Schiller Park. |
| James Nedza | Boy | 10 | 4 | James escaped without injury. Today, his daughter, Natalie says: “My dad was a suvivor duing this fire. He is a very hard working man and a great inspiration. I'm so glad that he is alive right now, cause he is such a great man.” |
| Thomas Peneschi | Boy | 9 | 3 | Thomas escaped without injury. Brother of Joyce Peneschi. |
| About this classroom: This classroom was located in the northwest corner of the north wing on the first floor, adjacent to the alley and Avers Avenue. | ||||
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| Room 110 | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Sister Mary Euniece | Teacher | 1 | ||
| Denise Chiko | Girl | 6 | 1 | Denise escaped without injury. “December 1 was my birthday. My mother came to the school with treats. Sister Euniece was my first grade teacher and she asked two 8th graders to come down and help pass out the treats. They were saved because they walked our with my class that afternoon. I remember my father , who worked for Peoples Gas Light and Coke at the time got the call that my school was on fire. He came to rescue me before the fire dept got there! He ushered out my entire class. I remember feeling safe that my Dad was there but also I remember him catching some the the kids that were jumping out the windows and placing them in peoples homes. He could never talk about that day for the rest of his life I think it scared him badly. My birthday has always sad after that day. I thank God every year that I survived.” |
| Daniel Plovanich | Boy | 6 | 1 | Dan escaped without injury and currently lives in Chicago with his wife of 23 years, and his three sons. He practices traditional Oriental medicine - acupuncture and Chinese herbology. Brother of Matt and Michael Plovanich. |
| About this classroom: This classroom was located in the northeast corner of the north wing on the first floor, adjacent to the alley and the fire stairway. | ||||
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| Room 201 | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Sister Mary Andrienne Carolan | Teacher | 7 | ||
| Wayne C. Castrovillari | Boy | 12 | 7 | Wayne escaped without injury. “After the first couple of rows filed out in an orderly fashion, somebody slammed the door closed. They yelled 'we can't go out there, where there is smoke there is fire' and then everybody panicked and ran for the windows for fresh air. After what seemed like eternity Father Joe and some firemen pryed the door open and instructed us to hold on to the person in front of us as they led us down the stairwell. Thankfully, we were one of the lucky classrooms. If I am not mistaken, no one was physically injured from our class.” Brother of Carmine and Annamarie Castrovillari, cousin of Sally and Donna Shillcutt. |
| Joseph Dattmo | Boy | 7 | ||
| Basil DeStefano | Boy | 7 | ||
| Steve Dumovich | Boy | 11 | 7 | Steve escaped from room 201 in the south wing of the school, without injury. He later joined the Wilmette, Illinois Fire Department, where he worked his way up to Department Chief. Today, he is retired from the Wilmette Fire Department, and is working for the Chicago office of the Department of Homeland Security. |
| Chuck Gerlach | Boy | 11 | 7 | Chuck escaped without injury. |
| Michael Guzaldo | Boy | 12 | 7 | Mike escaped without injury. |
| Henry Karkoszka | Boy | 12 | 7 | Henry escaped without injury, searched for and found his younger brother and sister, Joseph and Christina, and walked home. Brother of Christina and Joseph Karkoszka. |
| John Montedore | Boy | 12 | 7 | John escaped without injury down the main staircase from the second floor, in thick black smoke. |
| Joanne Pettenon | Girl | 7 | ||
| Francine Piro | Girl | 12 | 7 | Francine escaped without injury. Today, she is married and the mother of seven children and has ten grandchildren. She resides in Kissimmee Florida. |
| Michael Plovanich | Boy | 12 | 7 | |
| Nina Rainiero | Girl | 7 | Nina escaped without injury. Her father, Michael, was a doctor at Franklin Hospital who treated OLA students. | |
| Tommy Raymond | Boy | 12 | 7 | Tommy escaped down a ladder, aided by a fireman, without injury. |
| Charles Sonzero | Boy | 7 | ||
| Carol Vinceri | Girl | 13 | 7 | Carol spent most of her teen years in the Royal-Airs Drum and Bugle Corps, where she met David, her future husband. They had one son, and today live in Kankakee County, Illinois. |
| Gary Wassinger | Boy | 11 | 7 | |
| Joanne Taglia | Girl | 11 | 7 | Today she is Joanne Franzone. Sister of Dan and Angela Taglia. |
| About this classroom: This classroom was located in the southwest corner of the south wing second floor, nearest the intersection of Avers Avenue and Iowa Street. | ||||
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| Room 202 | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Sister Mary Rita | Teacher | 7 | ||
| Dominick DiMatteo Jr. | Boy | 12 | 7 | Dominick was “kicked down the stairs by Sister Mary Andrienne when I stood up to walk down the stairs”. Today Dominick lives in Las Vegas Nevada. |
| David J. Esposito | Boy | 12 | 7 | David escaped without injury. “I remember the day of the fire like it was yesterday. We where having song class. I heard the voice of Mike Neagle yell 'the school is on fire.' The fire alarm went off and someone opened the school door and an avalanche of black smoke burst into the room. I remember my friend Tom Raymond wanted to throw a chair through the window and jump down. It was so dark that the class followed like fightened sheep toward a nuns voice. We started down the stairs with the nun guiding us. I got to the main floor and ran out the door to the street. I watched a friend throw up black vomit. My cousin Don Muscolino and I ran all the way home. As I got home I thought of my sisters still left behind in the school. I knew they were all right because they were in the class under me that was right next to the exit. My sisters Linda and Lana got home safe to the delight of my parents. My father got home and hugged all of us and immediately ran to he school where he assisted the fireman. He came back home with a sore back which he got from breaking the fall of kids jumping out of windows.” Today, David has two children, a girl and a boy. “My daughter is getting married in July of 2007. I have a son who will be entering his 3rd year of college about the time my daughter gets married. I will be retiring May 4, 2007. I worked 39 years for the village of Niles as a policeman and finshed the last 13 years as a business coordinator out of the mayor's office. Both my parents have passed and I have a wonderful significant other named Lena. I also have a grandson named Danny, and two cats -- Duke, named after John Wayne, and Espi, named after me.” |
| Michele Forchione | Girl | 11 | 7 | Michele escaped without injury, and was told to go to the church and pray. When smoke began entering the church, students were told to run home. "We went to the church to pray and then ran home where the neighborhood was alerted that the 'school is on fire'. I remember praying and then standing outside watching the firemen's ladders too short and fire coming out of the side of the building. My dad was driving a bus at the time and heard [a false rumor] that the school blew up and that everyone was killed. By the time he got to a phone, I was home. He found it hard to believe that I was safe since the news amd rumors was so horrible by then. It was a day I'll never forget. I'm claustrophbic to this day." Today, Michele lives in Lumberton, New Jersey with her husband of 31 years, four children and two grandsons. |
| Fred Muscarella | Boy | 12 | 7 | “I was in a second floor classroom on the southwest side, 7th grade.” “My class was having violin lessons with Mr. Kauflin when we noticed windows breaking across the courtyard and then the fire alarm went off.” “Everyone in my class, to my knowledge, escaped that day by following our Nun down the staircase which was filled with thick black smoke and no visible fire. The whole class went inline across the street in front of the Nuns residence and waited till we were dismissed.” |
| Donald Muscolino | Boy | 12 | 7 | Don escaped without significant injury. "When the fire bell rang out we exited the classroom through a small closet, which we shared with the adjoining classroom, and then we were met by one of the sisters who told go down the stairs and then go home and pray. When we left the classroom it was absolutely pitch black with smoke and you couldn't breathe. I had fallen down after making an attempt to remove my coat from the coat hook in the closet and I was trampled over during the exictement. I'll never forget the day for the rest of my life. I lost many good friends." Don recently retired from the Chicago Police Department and currently resides in Antioch, Il with his wife of 37 yrs. "I have two children and I am a proud grandfather of two. I graduated from OLA in 1960, spent freshman year at Holy Trinity and then the family moved to Niles where I attended and graduated from Maine East in Park Ridge." |
| Theresa Page | Girl | 7 | Theresa escaped without injury. Today, she and her husband are retied and live in Island Lake, IL. She has two daughters, two granddaughters, and two grandsons. | |
| Donald Wessel | Boy | 12 | 7 | Don escaped without injury and today lives in Atlanta Georgia. He has been married since 1970, with three grown children and one grandson. |
| About this classroom: This classroom was located in the south wing adjacent to Avers Avenue and the small courtyard that separated the north and south wings of the school. A music class was underway when the fire broke out -- students heard the alarm and opened the door only to have the room fill with black smoke. They heard screams and were forced to the stairwell, where they found a bottle neck of escaping students, but all were able to escape. | ||||
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| Room 203 | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Miss Rossi | Teacher | 6 | ||
| Robert Chiappetta | Boy | 11 | 6 | Robert escaped without injury. Brother of Joan Anne Chiappetta. |
| John Colletti | Boy | 11 | 6 | John escaped without injury. After running out of the school, he ran to his home on Hamlin across from the church, with Bobby Chiappetta and put on coats. The two then returned to the school to search for Bobby's sister, Joan Anne. They searched the church and the neighboring houses that had taken children in. They were unable locate her so at about 5:30 they decided that she must be at home. They learned the following day that Joan Anne did not survive. |
| Pamela Ann Giesel | Girl | 11 | 6 | Pamela escaped without injury -- she was the first one out of her classroom, according to Ms. Rossi. Pamela is a "survivor who is searching for closure and a connection to other survivors to sort out the details." A few weeks after the fire, her parents placed her in Cameron public school for the remainder of that school year. The following year, the OLA parish leased a section of Cameron from the Chicago Public Schools, so she was able to continue her OLA education. She transferred to St Lucy's for eighth grade (and therefore never saw the new OLA school, other than in pictures), then to Siena High School, graduating in 1965. "In November of my senior year, my mother passed from cancer and I lost touch with many people, because I then lived in the western suburbs with my father and commuted until my graduation in June." She went to NIU for a few years, later working for TWA at O'Hare, where she met her husband-to-be, Bob Vargo. They were married in 1973 and settled in Villa Park, where she still lives today. |
| Michael Jamrock | Boy | 11 | 6 | Michael escaped without injury. His seat was in the back of the room next to the door. As smoked began to seep in he yelled "someone is burning eggs". That's when Miss Rossi opened the door to investigate, and subsequently ushered her students out of the school to safety. |
| Christina Karkoszka | Girl | 11 | 6 | Chris escaped without injury. After graduating from high school, she moved to the state of Wisconsin and today lives in Lake Geneva, WI. She has one son and a grandson. She is currently employed by the state of Wisconsin by the Department of Community Corrections. Sister of Henry and Joe Karkoszka. |
| Karen Klein | Girl | 11 | 6 | Karen escaped without injury. |
| Albert S. Letizia | Boy | 11 | 6 | Albert escaped without injury. He lived in Chicago until September 2002, and today lives in Tampa Florida. “The day of the fire I remember the kids in the room across the courtyard opening their windows and yelling 'fire', and seeing the smoke pour out of the room. I remember being told to stand up and exit quickly and calmly. Our room was near the stairwell but when we walked out into the hallway the smoke was so thick that instinct took over in helping escape the building.” |
| Raymond Traynor | Boy | 11 | 6 | Raymond escaped without injury. Brother of Don and Diane Traynor, cousin of Dennis Skinder. |
| Michalene Mancini | Girl | 6 | Michalene escaped without injury. Eleven years later she married Bill Poggi, a survivor from the same clssroom. | |
| William Poggi | Boy | 6 | Bill married Michalene Mancini, another survivor of Room 203. They have a son and daughter. Bill was a pilot in the US Air Force, then retired and worked as a pilot for Federal Express. Bill passed away Sept 9,2004 of a massive heart attack at age 54. | |
| John (Jack) Quinlan | Boy | 11 | 6 | Jack escaped without injury. As of January 2007, Jack has been married for 37 years, and lives in Orland Park, IL. He has 3 children and 3 grandchildren. “Miss Rossi was a wonderful teacher and I remember many names from that class, even 49 years later.” Brother of William Quinlan. |
| About this classroom: This classroom was located in the south wing on second floor, adjacent to Iowa Street and next to the south stairwell of the annex. Miss Rossi who was the lay teacher, led her students safely out of the school without injury. Students first noticed smoke creeping in from the rear door in the classroom. Soon, the smoke became thicker and heavier as more and more seeped in under the door. When the teacher opened the door, it was only a matter of a minute before everything turned black. The stairwell was immediately to the right of classroom and everyone rushed to the stairs and out of the building. | ||||
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| Room 204 | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Sister Mary Urbanita | Teacher | 6 | ||
| Ada Maria Bolzan | Girl | 11 | 6 | Ada escaped without injury. “We were waiting for the bell to ring when someone noticed kids across the courtyard bunched along the windows, yelling. Sister Urbanita opened the windows and they were yelling 'fire!' Sister opened the door and thick black smoke came inside and she told us to exit immediately. The smoke was so thick and black that we could not see. Everyone was hanging on to the clothes of the person in front of them. Finally we made it to the hallway where the stairs had a little bit of light coming through the smoke. I knew I was close to the stairs because when I placed my hand on the wall I felt the pictures of all the people who had graduated in previous years. As I approached the top of the stairs someone pushed me and I rolled down the stairs. At the bottom, a nun helped me to my feet and told me to leave immediately. I went to the church to pray, along with my classmates, when I noticed the flames by the fire escape, and realized the gravity of the situation. In the church we were told to go to the convent because it was too dangerous to stay in the church. We were offered something to eat and drink and then we were told to run home. Today (December 2007), I'm married and reside in Chicago and have three children and two grandchildren.” |
| Carol George | Girl | 11 | 6 | Carol survived without injury. “The children across the courtyard yelling 'fire'; thick black smoke pouring into the room when the doors were opened; pulling my skirt up over my nose to breathe; holding on to the coat hooks in the hall trying to find the staircase; stumbling down the stairs and finally fresh air, then trying to find my brothers - both of whom survived - these are memories that will live with me forever. To this day I can smell smoke before anyone else in a room. My husband says 'if Carol says there's a fire - there's a fire'. I've been married for 35 years, have 2 children and 3 grandchildren and now live in Park City, Utah.” |
| Ellen Gilbert | Girl | 11 | 6 | Ellen escaped without injury. She remembers looking across the courtyard and seeing the ceiling on fire. “To this day I can close my eyes and smell and taste the smoke. We were told to go into the church [and] then someone said that it was on fire also.” (Fortunately, it was not.) |
| Joseph DiCiolla | Boy | 6 | Brother of Colomba and Michael DiCiolla. | |
| Andy Elia | Boy | 6 | Andy passed away April 7, 2006 following a difficult battle with pancreatic cancer. | |
| Mike Fedanzo | Boy | 11 | 6 | "I can remember looking out our window to across the courtyard to see the older kids in their windows, yelling at us. At first we thought they were kidding around about something. Then the alarm went off and we hit the hallway. Thick black smoke, kids screaming and tugging at your cloths. This was the reality of it. One of the other things that sticks out in my memories is what was told to us after the fire -- God took the good ones. At that age it made you stop and think." Cousin of Gene Fedanzo. |
| Lorraine Senorski | Girl | 11 | 6 | Lorraine escaped without injury. Sister of Andrew, Mary Lynn and James Senorski. |
| About this classroom: This classroom was located in the south wing on second floor next to the annex and facing the small courtyard that separated the north and south wings of the school. | ||||
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| Room 205 | ||||
| Name | Boy/Girl | Age | Grade | About This Person |
| Dorothy Coughlan | Teacher | 5/6 | After conferring with teacher Pearl Tristano in room 206, Coughlan and Tristano successfully led their students out of the school to safety. Initially, they tried to locate the school principal, Sister Flourence, who was substituting for an absent teacher, before taking the initiative and leading their students to safety outside the building. Their willingness to act contrary to the strict school rules (leaving without the principal's approval) saved many lives. She and her entire class escaped without injury. | |
| Maureen Bailey | Girl | 11 | 6 | Maureen escaped without injury. “I was a student in Miss Coughlan's room. We heard a knock at the door, and a quiet discussion between Miss Coughlan and Miss Tristano. I noticed smoke coming in the door. Miss Coughlin left the room briefly and when she came back told us to quickly get up and go out the door. We were only a few feet from the staircase, but couldn't see it. I just followed the white shirt in front of me and made it safely out. I was small and it seemed the crowd around me just carried me down the stairs. God bless Miss Coughlin for her quick thinking - she saved us all. My younger sister made it out alright, too. She was in a room on the first floor right next to the front door.” |
| Joseph Brocato | Boy | 11 | 5 | Joseph carried trash to the basement from his classroom, and was in the boiler room when Mr. Raymond ran through and shouted for someone to call the fire department. Joseph escaped without injury. |
| Dale Burda | Boy | 11 | 6 | Brother of Beverly and Frank Burda and cousin of Dennis and David DeBoer and of Laura Hoblit. |
| Phyllis Cannello | Girl | 11 | 5 | Phyllis escaped without injury. Sister of Joseph Cannello. |
| Michael Carbona | Boy | 11 | 5 | Michael escaped without injury. Brother of Annette Carbona. |
| Richard R. DiCanio | Boy | 12 | 6 | Rich escaped without injury, and is curently living in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his beautiful wife and family - three wonderful children and 4 grandchildren. |
| Marilyn DeSimone | Girl | 11 | 5 | Marilyn escaped without injury. "I remember the black dense smoke. I couldn't see where I was going. I remembered not to touch the walls. We were always told the walls could be hot. When I got to the stairs, and started down, others were pushing. I ended up falling down a portion of the stairs, but was not injured." |
| Ronald Eddington | Boy | 11 | 6 | Ronald carried trash to the basement from his classroom, and was in the boiler room when Mr. Raymond ran through and shouted for someone to call the fire department. Ronnie escaped without injury. |
| Gene Fedanzo | Boy | 12 | 6 | Gene escaped without injury. "I've been wondering all these years where Miss Coughlan went when we first noticed smoke coming in the room. She was gone for about 8 minutes. When she came back in, she said 'everybody up and out', then the alarm went off." Cousin of Mike Fedanzo. |
| Johnnie Ann Fuller | Girl | 11 | 6 | Johnnie escaped down an interior stairway without injury. |
| Kevin Griffin | Boy | 12 | 6 | “Our room was at the top of the stairs next to the 'Candy Room.' Ms. Coughlin was our teacher in the sixth grade class. The first indication there was a problem came when we smelled smoke in the room. Just a faint odor as I recall until Ms. C opened the door to investigate! As the smoke poured in everyone stood there waiting for the fire alarm bell. Ms. C said it was time to get out. We all moved row by row into the hallway, the smoke was so dense you could only see a few inches in front of your face. I followed Andy Salemi's bright white shirt out of the building onto Iowa street and started looking for my brother's and sister. They were safe and our parents picked us up and took us home. Later that evening there was a knock at our door. It was Billy King. I can still remembe |
