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

If you have a personal experience, recollection or opinion about the December 1, 1958 Our Lady of the Angels school fire, whether you were present at the fire or not, you can relate it here. Any story or information is welcome as long as it relates to Our Lady of the Angels school fire.
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Posted by: Robert On: 10/16/2006 ID: 294
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Buffalo, New York
One of the earliest memories I can recall as a child, was of this fire. I can vaguely remember seeing it on the news and my parents talking about it at the time. It shocked me, and left an impression on me that I would never forget. I was born in 1952, and was in first grade at the time of the fire. I was six.

Several years earlier, another tragic school fire occurred within a mile of where we lived in the town of Cheektowaga, a suburb of Buffalo, New York. That fire killed 15 elementary school students in a newly built wooden annex at Cleveland Hill Schools. Apparently, an influx of many new students resulted in the building of the annex, which held 8 classrooms. Only one class was in session at the time of the fire, or it may have been even worse. It was a single story structure, but fire spread quickly through the hallway and students couldn't get the exterior paned windows to open. It occurred on Mar 31, 1954. I was too young to remember much about that fire, but my parents told me about it some time later, and we drove by where the annex once stood.

Anyway, for some reason, I decided to research the Buffalo fire the other day, and came across this site about the OLA fire. I ended up getting the book on the OLA fire and reading it, as well as most of the information on this site.

Like for many people I'm sure, these tragic fires and other events made up a small part of what I can recall about growing up as a child. I'd like to thank the webmaster for creating this site in memory of the children who lost their lives in the OLA fire; going through the memorial pages and seeing the faces of those children brought tears to my eyes even after so many years.

If anyone reading this can recall anything about the Buffalo fire, I'd be interested in hearing from you. Thanks, Robert.


Posted by: Schmidt On: 10/15/2006 ID: 293
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
I am a teacher in Chicago Public Schools. I was hired in late August. I began to research the OLA fire because we had a fire drill at our school in the middle of September. I was disturbed by the reaction to the fire drill by the children. the behavior and attitudes were awful. One of my students said "why should we be quiet, it's only a drill and there is no real fire." They ran down the stairs like it was a field day, my class was not the only class that acted like this. It was very disturbing. I remembered my dad telling me about the OLA fire. He went to OLA for a couple of years and then moved about a year before the fire. I think of what could have been if his family did not move. He would have been in the upper grades at the time of the fire. When I got my class back into the classroom, I told them about the fire and how awful it was. I told them to ask their parents about it. I explained to them how important it is for them to listen, walk quietly and follow directions during a fire drill or any drill for that matter. I am glad I found the site and can read them the entire account of the fire so that maybe they can understand how important it is. We are in an old building and my classroom walls are made out of wood. I am glad that I am on the first floor. I pray for all the victims and survivors of the fire.


Posted by: Michael Shaughnessy On: 10/11/2006 ID: 292
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chicago -- South Side
I was in the 2nd grade at Saint Sabina on Chicago's South Side in late 1958. My family had moved from my grandfather's house in Visitation parish into our own home on Aberdeen Street the previous summer. My father, a life-long Southsider, took me to see the ruins of the school several days after the fire. I was 7 at the time, and I remember how cold, still and austere everything looked. I imagine he had in mind to impress upon me the importance of fire safety -- he constantly reminded my sister and me to be sure we knew where the fire exits were located in any restaurant, hotel or public place we visited -- but all I could think of as I stood there was how frightened and fragile I felt. My father passed away at the age of 87 a few months ago and I've been remembering things good and bad about the times we spent together. Thank you for the extraordinary effort in building and maintaining this website. It has enlightened me about the extent of this tragedy and brought into focus my memories of the event and of the times and sociological sensibilities surrounding it.


Posted by: ashmont On: 9/25/2006 ID: 291
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
Just recently I was in Chicago to see the King Tut exhibit. While in Chicago, I visited the site of the former OLA church and school and I said a prayer for the survivors of the fire victims. I have a question about the neighborhood. If this has been already discussed in an earlier entry, I apologize. One block over, at Iowa and Springfield, there is another church that the Missionary Baptists took over in the early 1970's. Just curious--is there anyone who can remember who originally had that building in the late 1950's and the former name of that church? Thanks for such an inspiring website!


Posted by: Gerald J. Smith On: 9/15/2006 ID: 290
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before 6159 Ingleside, Chgo, IL
I was in the third grade at Holy Cross School when the fire happened. I'm writing because now I understand why I've felt so blue at Christmas for decades. In October, a school-mate died after she caught fire and ran down the street. In November, a nun at our school died and was waked in the school. December 1st, The Our Lady of Angels fire devastated everyone. Yesterday was the first time I read the entire account of what happened that fateful day.
I was playing with fire as a three year old and suffered 1st degree burns up to my knees. After that, I never played with fire. The street car that burned on state street trapping the passengers inside was about a mile from my house. I walked to the fire with my brother and sister when I was a child. Those memories all flashed back to me yesterday as I was exiting the halls packed with students from my job. I saw in an instant that if there was a fire at anytime when the halls are full: changing classes; beginning or end of the day; there will be another tragedy because there is a tendency to panic.


Posted by: Christine On: 9/13/2006 ID: 289
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No
I had heard about this tragedy over the years and am searching for information. My estranged father is now very recently deceased and attended OLA. He was 10 yrs old at the time this fire took place. I have just searched out more information and found this site and am wondering more about the 10 yr old boy that was suspected to have caused the fire. Can anyone help? I will continue to read further and perhaps I will find answers.Christine


Posted by: BOB JOHNCOLA On: 9/13/2006 ID: 288
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before 921 N AVERS
I LIVED AT 921 N AVERS RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO THE GROCERY STORE JOHN GORSKY IS ONE I REMEMBER .WE USED TO PLAY BACK BY THE SCHOOL IN THE ALLEY A LOST BALL WOULD END UP GOING DOWN THE STAIRS BY THE LUNCH ROOM IF MEMORY SERVES ME RIGHT MY AUNT ROSE HELPED COMFORT CHILDREN THAT GOT OUT THAT DAY SHE ALSO DID A TELEVISED INTERVIEW IF SOMEONE HAS ACCESS TO IT PLEASE POST IT I REMEMBER GRANDMA ROSE AND I AT THE CONVENT ON IOWA ST VISITING THE NUNS THAT HAD PERISHED THERE IS A NEWS PHOTO OF US KNEELING AT THEIR CASKETS . THOSE TWO GALS ARE GONE NOW MY AUNT AN GRANDMA THEY COULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED A LOT TO THIS SAD STORY THEY BOTH LEFT US IN THE MID 90S THAT NEIGHBORHOOD HAD A HORRIBLE TRAGEDY THEN HOWEVER;A LOT OF GREAT FAMILIES FROM THERE LIVE TODAY GOD BLESS.


Posted by: Joe On: 9/4/2006 ID: 287
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Lincoln and Belmont area
I was in the 1st grade at Burley(?) school. I remember the news breaking in and I seem to remember sirens as fire departments responded from around the city. I also remeber having a fire drill the very next day at school with these words from the teacher after it was over with: "Yesterday it was Our Lady of Angels, today it could have been Burley" These words stick with me 48yrs later. I remeber the pictures in the paper of the firemen carrying out the bodies of those children that had perished. To this day, I say a prayer for them as I pray for my own children's saftey while attending school.


Posted by: Ellen Cohen Tyack On: 9/3/2006 ID: 286
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before 8021 S. Phillips Ave, Chicago (South Shore)
On December 1, 1958, I was home sick from school (Edward Coles Elementary) with a cold. I was 12 years old so I was home alone while my parents worked and my older sister was at school (South Shore High School). I was watching television and will never forget when that awful, awful news came on about the fire at Our Lady of the Angels. The television stations carried live newscasts all afternoon. The things I've remembered most were aerial shots of the school on fire and the pandemonium of the people there. I thought that I remembered a covered fire escape chute that could not be used, but there is no mention of it in the diagrams or the news stories I just read. This fire was the worst thing I ever knew about in my young life.
I am crying now as I write this, remembering the horrors of that day. It will stay in my mind forever, along with the death of President Kennedy and the Sept 11 attack on the Twin Towers. Those were the three days in my life that I most wanted and needed my family with me. It has been almost 50 years since the OLA fire, but I have thought about it many times over the years. I am still terrified of being in a fire. My prayers and thoughts today and always are with the victims of the OLA fire and their families and friends.


Posted by: Mimi On: 8/16/2006 ID: 285
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before south side of Chicago
I was in 5th grade at Annunciata parish school at the time of the OLA fire. The impact it made on me lasts to this day. I feared fires in school for the rest of my grade school days. They used to put up posters for "fire prevention" week that had pictures of firemen carrying children and it terrified me to look at them. The sound of the fire alarm was almost the sound of doom to me. And yes, we had countless fire drills in our school after that. When my children were in grade school, I made the fire inspector come out and explain to me that they were safe in the upper floor of a very old school building with no fire escapes. I made him read "The Fire that will not die" and he argued with me that it didn't apply anymore. I never believed him.

That fire reached the souls of every child in parochial school at that time, I'm sure. It remains in mine to this day.