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Our Lady of the Angels (OLA) School Fire, December 1, 1958


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User Name: cedarlake55
Validated? Yes
On Mailing List? Yes
Registered: 02/28/2006 00:56
Last Login: 01/04/2008
Last Post: 01/01/2008 14:35
Topics Started: 9
Replies: 72
Email: (You must login to access this facility)
OLA Survivor or Alumnus? No
Born Before 12/1/58? Yes
Enrolled at OLA on 12/1/58? No
About me: I was born 1/29/55 and attended an ancient wooden overly-varnished Catholic grade school. I attended a Catholic High School in Hammond, IN - a school that had been partially destroyed by fire some 8-9 years earlier. Somehow knowledge of the tragedy of OLA has always been a part of my conciousness. Maybe I saw news reports on TV and the newspaper articles in the Northwest Indiana newspaper, then called "The Hammond Times". My mother mentioned the horrible event of that day since she was President of "Our Lady's Sodality" at the time. I live in Cedar Lake, IN and am a freelance photojournalist, graphic artist and a "crafter of all trades". My professional violinist father taught me to look for exits when I started going to the Folk Music clubs in the mid-'70's. He told me the story of The Coconut Grove Night Club. He might have been there some other night - he never would say. As a typical teenager I still went to clubs that were on the second floor and had only one visible staircase exit (anyone remember the poorly lit "Quiet Knight" on Belmont ?). Fortunately nothing bad happened. There are still so many unanswered questions about that awful day, Dec. 1, 1958, some of which an answer lays covered up. And there are questions which have no answers. Thank you for letting me join you on this message board. I'm truly honored. Mary Anne --- Mtnmusic@Summermoon.com