Personal experiences with Our Lady of the Angels School Fire on 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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Stories 353 to 344 Stories 333 to 324

Posted by:

Barbara Adams

On:

11/19/2007

ID:

343

Enrolled on 12/1/58?	Present on 12/1/58?	Injured?	Age	Grade	Classroom	Teacher
Yes	No	No	10	5	212	Sister Mary Clare Therese

I was a student at OLA from second grade through eighth grade. On December 01, 1958 I was kept home from school by my Mother because we had been confirmed the night before and my family had come in from out of town to celebrate the big day with me. We had a long evening and Mom thought I should stay home that Monday since all of the fifth grade classes the years prior to the fire had enjoyed the day after Confirmation free.
My Dad called the house about 2:30 to tell us the school was on fire. Mom and I raced to the school and could not believe the horror we saw. I watched as classmates and friends jumped from windows and died. I watched as bystanders helped parents and kids who were in shock. I watched as firemen wept against trees. I attended 90+ wakes and funerals of my friends and classmates. I visited many in the hospital who were burned beyond recognition. I saw things that I will never forget.
This is the first time I have been able to look at this website . I am thankful this site is here to allow me to lend my voice which had been silent until now, to a terrible event which affected so many people. I cannot forget the horror and the loss of young lives but I can tell you that I carry all of those Angels in my heart and in my prayers everyday of my life.
God Bless all of us and all of our Angels.

Posted by:

CARLA EUGLING

On:

11/16/2007

ID:

342

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	After	n/a

I can recall my Uncle, Father Joseph Ognibene, was very quiet whenever anyone talk about the fire. I would hear stories of what happened from my
Mom, Matilda and my Aunt Agnes. My Uncle, Father Sam would tell me bits and pieces about how my grandmother thought he died in the fire because no one knew where her was. I would always hear people speak of him as a hero.
Later in life I was sitting at the dinner table with my Uncle and I told him I saw him on Channel 7 saying the Yearly prayer at the OLA Memorial at Queen of Heaven. What happened next kind of shocked me, he actually started talking to me about what happene and his thoughts on how it started, which I will not mention. He lifted his sleeve and showed me a scar from a burn he suffered during the fire. All these years, I never knew. I will never forget that day.
I am very fond of my Uncle and I miss him, I loved him so much. He passed away several years ago from cancer and I got a chance to see some of the victims he saved at his funeral. I will never forget their stories. My Uncle Gene, and Aunt Agnes would cry whenever one of the victims intoduced themselves. God Bless You!Thank you for remembering Father Joe.
I always make it a point to drive by the Memorial at Queen of Heavens when I visit my parent's graves.Every year around Dec 1st I make it point to get out and visit the OLA graves and read each name on engraved as I pray.
God Bless everyone that was touch by this tragedy.I will never forget.

Posted by:

Kathie H

On:

11/12/2007

ID:

341

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	Milwaukee

I was 8 yrs old and in third grade in a large catholic grade school in Milwaukee (St Mary of Czestochowa). I had a great-aunt who was a teaching nun in Chicago; she knew some of the teachers at OLA. She could barely speak when talking of the tragedy to my parents. Our school was similar to OLA in many ways - 50 to 60 children in a class, old highly-varnished wood, transom doorways and unreachable windows due to bookcases. There were so many desks in a class that the nuns could hardly walk between them. I remember praying for the children and families of OLA in school. And always, always the picture of Richard Scheidt carrying the lifeless little boy out of the building.We always believed we were safe with God. How could children die while they were doing what they were supposed to be doing? Sitting in school looking up at that teaching sister and at the crucifix on the wall above her head?
Death,it seemed, could be just a door away. There were no sacred talismans, and the faith and trust of so many children was badly shaken in those days following.
More than a half century later, I always think of the surviving family members when December 1st comes around. I wonder if they've ever had a happy christmas since then. Having lost a brother in an accident, I know that the tragedy is part of who you are. I remember those children and their families every year around this time. And want to thank you for this web site and the opportunity to provide some solace.

Posted by:

Rochelle

On:

11/8/2007

ID:

340

Enrolled on 12/1/58?	Present on 12/1/58?	Injured?	Age	Grade	Classroom	Teacher
Yes	Yes		10	5	Cheesebox	Sister Mary Geraldita

It was almost the end of the school day. Our classroom was a mixture of 5th and 6th graders. I remember a classmate dropping a pencil on the floor and when he bent over to pick it up saw smoke coming under the door. Sister opened the door and the room immediately filled with smoke. We were told to kneel against the back wall and pray. Of course all of us panicked and we all tried to get to the windows. I remember that the door to the fire escape was locked. I know that a student jumped out of the window to seek help. As always I had a hankie in my jumper pocket and pulled it out and found myself breathing through that. I remember my eyes burning and my terrible fear. I remember the week before we had been confirmed and called "soldiers of Christ". Even at that young age I know I did not want to die. I know now that only minutes passed before the door was opened and freedom awaited. As we raced out of the room I looked back as flames engulfed the area we had just been in. I ran through the alley to my home which was just a couple of doors away from the convent. I was looking for my younger sister. When I ran home and pounded on the door to get in the house my mother opened the door and was shocked to see me as I still had the hankie wrapped around by face which was now black from the smoke. To this day I feel that God told me to do this and saved my life. She raced out of the house looking for my sister who had been marched into the church by her teacher to pray. As only the rectory separated the church and the school the church began to fill with smoke. Mom found my sister and came home I remember standing in front of the house just looking at the disaster and seeing kids walking around in the cold with no coats on and fireman scaling the walls of the burning building trying to rescue kids trapped in their rooms. As I grew older and really understood what happened to us that day I remember those words of Bishop Hillinger "go forth as soldiers of Christ" and believe that those students who perished that day did fight for Christ. Building codes were changed, sprinklers installed and fire drills were no longer an excuse to get out of class. The passing of these soldiers very well saved many other lives.

Posted by:

Billijean Moore

On:

11/2/2007

ID:

339

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	St. Louis, MO.

The fire at the school, with all the children dying and 3 nuns, affected me deeply. I am 59 years old now and remember it vividly. I was 10 years old and in 5th grade at Holy Ghost Catholic School. I couln't believe God would "let" all those children die and the NUNS! The memory of this has haunted me forever. From your website, I have been able to find peace with it and closure at last. God bless you and all the children and sisters who died. May God give them perfect peace and happiness.

Posted by:

Carol Smith

On:

10/28/2007

ID:

338

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	Sterling, Illinois

I remember coming home from school, I was 9 years old, and I heard of the tragedy in Chicago which was about 150 miles away from Sterling, IL. I can still see the faces of the children that had died; and I remember reading the newspaper articles over and over again. I have always had a great fear of fires; and I'm sure it all stems from the OLA school fire. Thank you for this website. May much healing come from it! God Bless you.

Posted by:

kathie

On:

10/12/2007

ID:

337

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	st. joseph, michigan

I was 11 yrs old on 12/1/58, and a student in St. Joseph, Michigan, at St. Joseph Catholic School. St. Joe is 90 miles along the Lake from Chicago. I will never forget the front page of the Tribune, the day after the fire. When we went to school, the day after the fire, I remember our Dominican nun talking of the fact that we needed to pray for the children and nuns who perished in the fire. I remember, so strongly, how sad and upset our nun was that day. Mostly, I will never forget the pictures in the Tribune. I was horrified to see firemen carrying a deceased nun down a flight of stairs, as well as horrific pictures of the children. Like most parents at that time, I recall my parents being very grieved over the loss of teachers and children, but talked in hushed tones infront of my sister and I. I wanted to ask them questions about the tragedy, but they said it was too horrible to discuss. The feeling of sadness, and fear, was so strong inside of me due to that fire. I read the book, "To sleep with the Angels", and I was overwhelmed by it. My husband went to St. John's Catholic School in Benton Harbor, and was taught by BVM's. He said he was devestated at 12 yrs old, to know that BVM's died in the fire. We both commented, that at those ages, we thought it inconceivable that nuns and children would have such a tragedy in a Catholic school. God bless and keep all who survived. My prayers will forever be with you.

Posted by:

Joe Romanoski

On:

10/8/2007

ID:

336

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	5233 South Nashville Avenue Chicago Illinois

I was a student at St. Daniel the Prophet Grammar School at the time of the fire. I was eleven years old. I can remember distinctly the day as the "first of December", a new month, not too far from Christmas, and really cold. Like most parochial school kids in Chicago, we marched in and out of school--at St. Daniel's, usually to the Notre Dame fight song. The fire was on the news that night. The kids were just like us. The sisters were just the same. I think every Catholic parochial school was pretty much run the same way back in those days. The picture of the fireman carrying the dead nun down the ladder pretty much tore the guts out of everyone. I suppose every Chicago parochial school kid at the time figured it could have been him\her.

I've just had a chance to read other peoples' recollections. My best wishes to all attending the get-together on October 12th (with Dick Biondi).

Posted by:

Fred Becker

On:

10/3/2007

ID:

335

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	After	n/a

My Grandfather was a lieutenant in the Chicago Fire Dept. and was at the (OLA)fire and was one of the Firemen who helped save some children and carry the deceased children out of the building after the fire. For some odd reason his name was not listed on this web site as one of the firemen even though his hook and ladder crew were first responders to the fire. Fred C. Becker went on to become a Chicago Fire Chief under Mr. Quinn. Out of all the calls he has responded to in his career as a Chicago firefighter, the (OLA) fire haunted him until he died in 1990. He used to tell me how that single fire went on to change his life forever and years later was still very emotional over it. May he and all the children and people involved rest in peace.

Posted by:

Ernie B

On:

8/24/2007

ID:

334

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	Palmer Square

My wife and I have been transfered back to Chicago. I don't know what led me to find this site, but I am so glad I did. I was a Kindergarden student at Morris Park School,10 Blocks East. I used to have to wait for my sister to get out of first grade so we could take a city bus home. I remember being in the school yard when children were running through the school yard. They had blackend sootie faces and Eyes I will never forget. I heard something about a fire, but did not know what it was. My sister and I took our bus home and she forgot her key at school so we had to sit on our back porch until my mother got home. When she did get home, she was pretty upset. She said she heard about a school fire and my father went to the fire to do radio communication with the Red Cross, he was a volunteer. They only knew there was a terrible school fire in the area and did not know which one it was. So they were concerned that we were involved. My father came home very late that night and has never talked about what he heard or saw. We did hear stories about the fire on the news and for a long time after that at our school. We moved out of Chicago soon after that and I have never heard anything about it since. Until this site, then suddenly the memories of the children's faces came back.Thank you for the opportunity to share my memories. Bless you all.

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