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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Story Index

Stories 464 to 455 Stories 444 to 435

Posted by:

Ken Kellow

On:

12/22/2008

ID:

454

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

I attended Blessed Virgin Mary Parochial School in Darby Pennsylvania on the day of this tragedy. I was in the 6th grade. I cannot say how seriously the nuns at our school reacted. Although our school was just a few years old and had fire safety systems, we nevertheless were drilled several times so we could quickly evacuate if needed. I just want to say that these children did not die in vain. The deep pain that we felt at that time, and that many of us still feel today, did result in fire safety improvements. I hope that the children of this tragedy will always be remembered; especially by those to whom we entrust our children, and that something like this never happens again

Posted by:

SHIRLEY POLZIN FRASSICA

On:

12/22/2008

ID:

453

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT I HAVE FOUND THIS SITE SO MANY YEARS AFTER THE FIRE. (12/20/08) I AM 72 YEARS OLD AND WAS 14 WHEN I WAS IN THE EIGHT GRADE. I WENT TO VISIT THE PASTOR OF OLA A FEW YEARS AFTER THE FIRE AND IT WAS ONE OF THE SADIST VISITS I EVER HAD.

I CAME OUT OF WORK ON DECEMBER 1, 1958 AND SAW THE LOS ANGELES HEADLINES REGARDING A CHICAGO SCHOOL FIRE. WHEN OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS (OLA) NAME APPEARED I ALMOST LOST MY BREATH. I NOT ONLY WENT TO THAT SCHOOL WHEN I WAS A CHILD BUT I HAD MANY FRIENDS THAT STILL HAD SISTERS AND BROTHERS IN THE SCHOOL. AS SOON AS I GOT HOME I TRIED TO CALL ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS IN CHICAGO. I COULDN'T GET THOUGH. ALL THE LINES WERE TIED UP ETC. WHEN I DID GET THROUGH, MY FRIEND TOLD ME THAT HER SIBLINGS WERE SAFE BECAUSE THE FAMILY HAD MOVED JUST ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE FIRE. SHE TOLD ME THAT OUR CLASSROOM WAS THE CLASSROOM THAT HAD THE MOST CASUALTIES. I REMEMBER THERE WAS A SMALL COURT YARD BEYOND THE SECOND FLOOR WINDOWS AND THIS IS WHERE MOST OF THOSE CHILDREN THAT FELL OR JUMPED LANDED. THIS WAS OUR 8TH GRADE CLASSROOM AND I KNEW IT QUITE WELL.

MY HEART BREAKS WHEN I THINK OF WHAT HAPPENED, WHO IT INVOLVED, & WHO IT COULD HAVE INVOLVED. I KNOW THAT THE SARNO FAMILY LOST ONE CHILD IN THE FIRE (MAYBE MORE - I AM NOT SURE) THEY HAD MOVED TO HOLLYWOOD AND I REMEMBER SOMETHING ABOUT THEIR STORY BUT DON'T REMEMBER MOST OF THE THINGS IN THEIR STORY. I WENT TO THEIR RESTAURANT AT THE TIME (IN HOLLYWOOD) BUT CAN'T REMEMBER MUCH NOW. I DID NOT KNOW THEM THAT WELL WHEN I WAS IN CHICAGO BUT I DO KNOW THAT THEY USE TO HAVE A GREAT PIZZA PLACE ON CHICAGO AVE. AS A MATTER OF FACT ONE OF THE LOST CHILDREN SHARED MY MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME (JO ANN CIOLINO) I WONDER IF WE WERE RELATED SOMEHOW?

AT THE TIME THAT I WENT TO OLA (I GRADUATED IN 1950) I LIVED ON DRAKE AVE. IN LATER YEARS WHEN I WAS IN MY LATE TEENS, I LIVED RIGHT DOWN THE STREET FROM OLA. (ON HAMLIN AVE.) MY THINKING ABOUT THIS SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY YET IT IS OVER 58 YEARS AGO. I AM SO VERY GLAD I DID NOT KNOW ANY OF THE CHILDREN THAT WERE KILLED IN THE FIRE YET EVERYONE OF THEM MEANS SO MUCH TO ME. IT'S LIKE VIEWING MY OWN CLASSMATES WHEN SEEING THE ABOVE PHOTOS OF THE VICTIMS.

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW MY 8TH GRADE ROOM - MY 8TH GRADE TEACHER - MY 8TH GRADE CLASSMATES. THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD GO I......

Posted by:

Dan Niemiec

On:

12/17/2008

ID:

452

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

I was in 5th Grade at St. Jerome's Catholic Elementary School in Westchester, CA. At the time, I recall we had some 50+ students in our class. St. Jerome's was a modern (at the time) school. I remember my class being told of the tragedy at OLA and reading about it in LIFE magazine, the LA Times and seeing the newscasts on TV. Shortly thereafter, our fire drills took on a much more serious tone.

I happened upon the book "To Sleep with the Angels" a couple of years ago. It was a very emotional read to say the least. The firefighters, the school janitor, associate pastor and all the neighbors who rushed to aid those kids and nuns truly earned a place in heaven that day. God Bless to all.

Posted by:

Mac McCarty

On:

12/17/2008

ID:

451

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

I was in 7th Grade on December 1, 1958. All 7th Graders attended one building in downtown Granite City (down state Illinois, across the riover from St. Louis). My Mom was Chief Nurse (Labor and Delivery Room) at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, a couple of blocks from my school. Rather than ride the bus home, I would go to the Public Library after school and then walk to the Hospital to ride home with Mom.She had the radio on and we were talking about Christmas and the happy things of a 1950s Christmas. As we pulled into our driveway, there came the announcement that 24-hour cable has now turned into a relic of the past: "We interrupt our broadcast for a special news bulletin."The report gave only a few details: fire in Our Lady of the Angels Catholic grade school in Chicago. Chicago Fire Department struggling to bring the flames under control. Reports that as many as 100 children were missing and might be dead.Mom just put her head down on the steering wheel and began crying. "Oh, those poor Mothers--losing their babies at Christmas."We said a prayer and went inside, subdued, to watch for the reports on TV.Our school was older than OLA. Same highly waxed wood floors, lots of wood on the walls. We had fire drills every day until Christmas break.Ten years later, when I was a senior at Illinois State University, a girl I new was an OLA survivor (Barbara Sullivan--4th Grade).My wife is a classroom one-on-one aide in our local elementary school in Downingtown, PA. She has the same concerns that some children--in our supposedly fire-resistant modern schools--don't take fire drills as seriously as they should. Teachers and staff do--a legacy of that grim December day at Our Lady of the Angels.Eternal Peace grant unto them Oh Lord, and let Perpetual Light shine upon them, May their dear little souls rest in Peace.

Posted by:

Greg J.

On:

12/9/2008

ID:

450

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	6005 S. Melvina Ave. in Chicago

I was 10 years old at the time of this horrific event. My father
had come home and excitedly put on the TV to hear the latest news. (TV
was not allowed since 4 to 6pm. was for doing homework) On WGN there was a news broadcast about the OLA fire. I became sick at the reality of so many young "Angels" being taken by a fire just before Christmas.
The next day I went to the Nathan Hale School where I was in the
fifth grade. Sometime around 9:30 to 10:00am., I noticed Paul A. sobbing at his desk with his head in his arms. He was a good kid.
The teacher went over to comfort him and Paul left the room for a minute or so. At recess, I overheard some the teachers talking on the playground say that Paul had lost his cousin in the OLA fire. Being the 1950s, my friends and I left him alone and never asked him about the particulars of the fire.
Years later, when I became a CPS teacher, I always stressed the need to conduct a rapid, quiet, and orderly fire drill with our students. Our principal, who had a friend on the West side whose son perished in the fire, also was very strict about having students exit as quickly and safely as they could. My heart will always go out to the "little angels" we lost that tragic day in December, 1958. May God bless them and the surviving families touched by this horrible tragedy.

Posted by:

On:

12/8/2008

ID:

449

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

I can still remember the incredible sadness I felt in December 1958 when, as an eight-year-old girl living an hour north of Chicago in Kenosha, Wisconsin, I learned of the fire at Our Lady of Angels. Even though I was so young, I read everything I could about the fire because, in my own way, I wanted the children who died to be remembered. And, at the time I was going to a parochial school that, like Our Lady of Angels, was old and had open stairwells. I remember in particular reading a story done in one of the Chicago papers (I believe the American) about one little girl who died as representative of all who passed away. She seemed so much like me at the time; the story said she had been eagerly awaiting Christmas and reported about her in a way that made you feel you knew her. To this day, I still feel a deep emotional attachment to Our Lady of Angels.

Posted by:

Elizabeth Finlay

On:

12/8/2008

ID:

448

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

My mom was an 8th grader in Rm 209 the day of the fire. I have spoken with her several times about that day, and it brings tears to both of our eyes every time. On the 50th Anniversary of the tragedy we read the Chicago Tribune together and cried again. She lost her cousin and several friends in the fire. Among the pictures published in the tribune’s anniversary story was of her aunt among other worried parents.

I rarely talk about it with other people because I am not sure they can truly grasp the horrid innocent without speaking to someone who was there that day. I am starting to speak more about it because I don’t want the memory of the victims and families to be lost. I am thankful for this website. It is important to be able to continue to remember those involved and honor those who helped save many lives.

My mom always says that if it weren’t for Father Joe she wouldn’t be alive. Thank you Father Joe for saving her life and the life of many others.

Posted by:

Janell

On:

12/7/2008

ID:

447

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

I was one years old at the time of the fire we lived in the area until I was three. Im not sure where we lived, my parents are both deaced, but my father had abusiness on Roosevelt Rd. My mom said dad loved the west side at the time. I do know later we moved to Roosevelt Rd.and Austin and lived above a record store for awhile until my Grandmother bought an apartment building on the far north side because the city demolished her neighborhood to build the University of Chicago, she was a Greek imigrant and was never the same after having to leave her friends, she spoke little English. anyway when I was old enough to remember my mother told me about the fire, she remembered for the rest of her life,she died last year at 90 what had happened.She went to the Loop shopping when she came home and turned on the tv she saw the flaming building and children jumping out of the building she did not know what she was seeing she told me she thought it was a movie but later realized the truth of the matter of the Horrific and tragedy. My mom told me I probably would have gone to Our Lady OF Angels if I had been older, She said for many years after,every year they would show the anniversary on the news. Well this year because of the 50th I saw the headlines in the newspaper it brought back those memories to me as well as sadness for victims and families, I want to read the books and learn more. I feel aconnection, I did go on to go to Catholic schools for twelve years, but it is kinda haughting to me I could've been a victim too,if I were older! May God Bless all involved and thank you for the oppurtunity to write. Im wondering what became of the many families of the victims and how they were able to move on?

Posted by:

On:

12/6/2008

ID:

446

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	River Forest, IL

My experience with the fire was different than those directly affected. I was in the first grade and attended a local parochial school the day of the fire. My father was Dr. James E. Segraves, an orthopedic surgeon at the old St. Anne's Hospital on the west side. He was chief of what was then called "disaster planning." A mock trauma of the plan was run only weeks before the tragic fire. Looking back the ER at St. Anne's hardly resembled the sleek emergency departments we have today. It is astounding to think that the hospital staff in that small emergency room managed to treat the number of seriously burned children and try to help their anguished families. Needless to say, I did not see my father for several days. He arrived home just before midnight on December 1, and according to my mother wept. He left for the hospital before 7 in the morning and often didn't return home until well after 10 pm. I'm certain that in the back of his mind, he identified with the parents of the children he treated, some of them for many years after that event. I remember him telling my mother, who had been an army nurse, that many of the fire victims were suffering from flashbacks. When my father died in 1967, fire survivors who attended his wake told me that my father helped them and cared for them. My father, however, was one of many medical and nursing professionals who took care of the fire victims. The emotional aftermath of that day has remained with them, and their families, to the present. It's impossible for me to forget what is so important about December 1. In the months before her sudden death in 1996, my mother reached out to the survivor group. Although she was not involved in the direct care of the children or their families, as a mother, nurse and wife she understood the meaning of that day for the survivors. Today, I work as a school nurse. I know that my primary responsibility is to ensure the children's and the entire school community's safety, be it from fire, communicable disease or another catastrophic event. I also know that as young as I was when it happened, I learned about caring for others from that terrible day.

Posted by:

Ann Marie

On:

12/5/2008

ID:

445

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	New Castle, DE

I thought I was in the seventh grade when this tragedy happened because I remember it so well. As I read it now, I was only ten so I was in the fifth grade. I watched the horror on TV and remember seeing little children jump into people's arms. I remember the windows were decorated for Christmas with candles, snowflakes etc. I NEVER forgot anything I saw on the TV on in the papers later. Because of this fire, all the Catholic schools were inspected, I went to St. Peter's School in New Castle, De with condemned posters in the windows until the middle of eighth grade. When our new safe school was finished, we had to carry our own desks down the street, across the field and into our new classroom. I can still remember the pains in my upper arms. Then because we were the oldest kids we had to take the 1st and 2nd grade desks. Our school had been built in 1906 and was the same as OLA waxed floors, no fire escapes from the second floor. They built a fire escape that came down from the back and front wings and met in the middle. I was terrified of it. The first time we had a fire drill it was icy and slippery. I am now a teacher and I get really upset when the kids will not take the fire drills seriously. I do not want to scare them but I do tell them the story of OLA. I was substituting this week and there was a drill. I wrote a boy up for running around the room and screaming. He knocked another kid down. He was suspended for three days. God bless the families, who still suffer the loss of those babies so close to Christmas. I think about it every year.

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