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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: Becky Ruhland On: 9/28/2010 ID: 528
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes Yes No 9 4 Class B Sister Xavier
I was reading some of the personal stories and came across Marilyn Chrzas. I was a good friend of your sister. We walked to school everyday. On that day, Joan wore a pink watch, which she received for her birthday. I don't know why that sticks out in my mind. Anyway, I'm glad we were such good friends. Also, when I was in 10th grade and making my confirmation, I chose Joan as my name. I hope all is well with you Marilyn. With the utmost sorrow for the loss of your sister and my dear friend. Love Becky Ruhland (Morrissey)


Posted by: Peggy On: 9/14/2010 ID: 527
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Kenosha, Wisconsin
I was in fifth grade at McKinley School in Kenosha. We were Catholic but attended public school. I remember hearing all the horrific stories, including the locked door and gate. I get very angry if I ever find a possible fire exit locked or blocked in any way, and I always check out the window to see how far I would have to jump in case of fire. I never knew so many people my age were also affected.

To the survivors, please know I pray for you.


Posted by: dsmcwil On: 9/8/2010 ID: 526
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Skokie, Il
I remember sitting in front of the tv and they interupted whatever we had on, I can see the reporter in my minds eye, I believe it was Fayhe Flynn, I had just turned 5 that September. I can't to this day get the images out of my mind. It was the most sad time I had ever seen. All I did was question my mother about it. Over the years I have come to the sight. When I go home to visit I'll drive thru the neighborhood. It was just kind of a feeling you get....little spirits that were not ready to leave. I am still saddened every time I think of this. I remember every December 1. Thank GOD for everyday and pray for those little children. We must never forget those who died. GOD truly blessed all those who got out.


Posted by: dennis gioffredi &darlene pizzolato re.gioffredi On: 9/6/2010 ID: 525
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes Yes No 11 5 205? sister mary urbiniti ?
just waiting for the bell to ring,next thing i see across the courtyard is another nun waving frantically out the window. she was yelling fire.our nun then opened the door to our classroom and thick black smoke came rushing in. she closed the door and told us to stay seated and to start praying.after a few minutes she said were going out in the hall. all hell broke loose as soon as we hit the hallway you couldnot see anything just kid s screaming and crying. anyway i lost consiousness and hit the floor while on the floor some fresh air hit me and gave me alittle more time to try and get to a window i was sliding against the wall and a teacher grabbed me and other kids and took us out. that teachers name is miss rossi. god bless her! one of many unsung heores that day. any way thats about it, just wasent my time.my wife of 40 years was also in school that day , she was on the first floor and got out pretty fast have three daughters and seven grandkids. also no one in my class died that day. JMJ.


Posted by: sgate On: 8/29/2010 ID: 524
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before South side about five miles from OLA
I am once again perusing the OLAfire website. I shared my memories of hearing about the fire at the age of four, about three years ago. I will never forget about this tragedy. I have read the books and watched the DVD and researched the web--I am still overcome with emotion about the fire! Although I did not personally know anyone directly involved, my prayers are constantly with the families affected. December 1, 1958 should never be forgotten!


Posted by: Joe Bonadonna On: 8/11/2010 ID: 523
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes Yes No 6 1 Joseph Hal maybe Sister Mary St. Denise
I can't recall if I was in Joseph or Mary Hall, but it was on the second floor of one of the two houses OLA used for kindergarden and 1st grade; these buildings were on Hamlin Avenue, across the street from the former synogogue the church purchased and named, OLA Hall. I was in first grade,bu also can't remember who my teach was: I want to say Sister Mary St. Denise, but I'm not certain.
I used to get walked to and from school everyday by an older girl, a neighbor's daughter who lived across the alley from us, on Trumbull Ave. But on this particular day, my Mom told her that she would be shopping on the Avenue (as we called Chicago Avenue back then), and that she would pick me and my cousin up from school and walk us home at the end of the day.
It was toward the end of the school day, as I recall. We were all just sitting at our desks, either doing work or listening to our teacher. My Mother suddenly barged into the classroom with two other women, screaming, "The school blew up! The school's on fire!" Then we heard the sirens as the nun tried to calm my mother and the other ladies down. I can't remember if it was a priest or another nun who rushed into the classroom to tell us what happened; everything turned into a dream-like blur. Class was quickly dismissed, and my mother and I went next door to get my cousin Madlyn Gnoffo out of kindergarden. Then my Mom dragged us east down Iowa, to Homan Avenue, where we lived. I remember seeing flames and smoke as we rushed home.
My Mom left my cousin Madlyn and me with my Grandma who lived upstairs from us; Madlyn lived next door to us, and her mother wasn't home yet. My Mom then ran all the way back from Homan Avenue to Hamlin, where she wasn't allowed to go any farther. She had gone back to OLA to see if there was anything she could do, and to look for Madlyn's older brother Michael, who was in 5th or 6th grade, I think. Another cousin, Vivian Guercio, was also in the school; she was about 2 or 3 grades ahead of me. Thank God, both Vivian and Michael were okay. But it wasn't until later that evening,after my Dad came home from work, that we learned about the neighbor's daughter who used to walk me to and from school. She died in the fire. Her name was Mary Ellen Pettenon and she was only 9 years old.
I don't think there's one person who lived in that wonderful neighborhood or who attended OLA that wasn't touched in one way or another by the terrible tragedy. Everyone you knew had a cousin, a brother, a sister, a child, or a friend who died or was injured that day. We grew up with the memory. It affected all our lives in different ways. I was in the same grade with Barbara Andreoli, whose brother Jerry was injured in the fire. I played in my first rock and roll band with Randy Andreoli, their brother; our band often rehearsed in Men's Shop Moderne, their parents' clothing store, after they closed for the evening. Years later, at Osco Drug,I worked with a guy named Tom Carr, whose older sister, Kathleen, died in the fire; our fathers knew each other from the trucking industry. Another guy at work told me his father was one of the firemen fighting the fire that day. I worked with a pharmacist who was an apprentice at St. Anne's on that dreadful day, and told me how horrible it was to see so many kids being rushed into that hospital. It seems I never stop running into people who knew someone or had a family member who was there that day. It certainly is a day I'll never forget.


Posted by: Sen Incavo On: 7/21/2010 ID: 522
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Palatine, Illinois
As I was surfing the web I found your site for the fire and it brought back memories of my parents and relatives talking about the fire.

Our Lady of Angels was my grandparents parish in Chicago. Their names were Domenic and Ida Incavo. They lived on the 4100 block of W. Potomac. Both my grandparents had their funeral masses there, my grandfather in 1969 and my grandmother in 1971.

In 1959 my grandparents celebrated 50 years of marriage and they renewed their vows at the church with all of their nine children and many grandchildren. I have a picture taken on the steps of the church hororing the event. I was six at the time.

When the fire happened everyone in my familly was talking about it. I lived in Palatine and all of my aunts and uncles that still lived in Chicago were talking about the children who were lost in the fire. My relatives knew many of the families involved. Although no one in my extended family attended school at Our Lady of Angels it still happened in their parish.

My aunts and uncles looked at me and said, "How awful that this should happen they (the children) were just your age."

I remember the sadness everyone felt.

The pictures on your site tell the whole story. The one that moved me most was of Cardinal Meyer celebrating the funeral mass. He later confirmed me at St. Thomas of Villanova parish in Palatine.

I felt the need to make contact with my little story.


Posted by: Margaret O'Neill On: 6/24/2010 ID: 521
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Detroit, Michigan
At the time of the fire I was 9 years old and a parochial elementary school student in Detroit, Michigan.

The Detroit News was delivered to our house daily. I could look at it as long as I put it back together exactly as delivered. The fire was the leading story on Tuesday, December 2nd. My father came home to find me sitting on the living room floor transfixed by the images of the burned school. He was furious and took the paper away from me saying, “You shouldn't be looking at this” and went outside to the garbage can behind our garage and threw the newspaper away. This is the only day in my memory that he did not read the paper after dinner. I wanted to sneak out and retrieve it, and did just that the next day after school - but the newspaper was gone. I never saw the edition of Life Magazine that covered the fire even though we received it weekly.

After the tragedy we had fire drill after fire drill at school. I remained haunted by the pictures I had seen and, as an adult, read everything I could find about that fire. Years ago I lived in Chicago and found Michele McBride's book The Fire That Will Not Die, and recently To Sleep With The Angels as well as the WTTW documentary.

Thoughts of that fire haven't surfaced for decades. Recently, while visiting Chicago, I was walking to Manny's and came upon the Fire Museum of Greater Chicago and went inside. Along the wall of pictures from famous Chicago fires was that of fireman Richard Scheidt carrying the body of John Jajkowski along with other photos from that day. It all came back to me and at 60 years old I was back looking at the Detroit News.

Thank you for this site and to those who add their stories.


Posted by: Diane Ruskowski On: 5/20/2010 ID: 520
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chicago, Illinois
My father was at the OLA fire on that horrible day. His name is Matthew Ruszkowski he was a fireman. The fire had an impact on his life and the lives of everyone that he was around. We were sent to St. Columba School because it was a one story building and he convinced his brother to send his daughter to St. Columba as well. I remember him telling his brother that he would not be able to sleep at night if she were going to a catholic school that was multiple stories. My father never did get over that fire. We used to go to the cemetery where the children are buried to pray for them a few times a year and he was just devastated over the whole thing. There were many nights that he could not sleep because he was thinking about the nuns and the children that were injured and those that had passed away in the fire. He said that the hardest thing was when the parents showed up and were screaming for their babies as the fire went out of control. As I reflect back on this tragedy, I realize that it had taken a toll on all of Chicago and those that were there at that fire were never ever the same. I pray that God Will Bless and Heal each and every individual that was at or was in that fire.


Posted by: Nearly Normal On: 5/15/2010 ID: 519
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
I was ten years old and attending Holy Trinity Grade School in a building that was about seventy-five years old. There were a lot of tears and prayers the next day since almost all of us had seen reports about the fire on television and in our local paper. Because we were Catholic kids there were a lot of emotional bonds with the victims of the fire. I had nightmares for several nights. After the fire, there were upgrades to our school building in regards to fireproof doors and other measures. We older kids were on the second floor and had lots of practice with the fire escapes which were slides in metal tunnels. The building was soon replaced with a modern one that was up to the revised fire codes established by state law and city ordinances. This fire has always been a touchstone for my generation. I have read books and articles about the incident and its aftermath. It appears to me that it was indeed arson that was aided by the fact that the building was not brought up to the modern standards of the time. Grandfathering these buildings out of the newer standards was a death sentence to the victims.