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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: Ralph On: 3/25/2011 ID: 551
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Milwaukee's southside
Teresa is right, there was a wake up call.

It was front page of the Milwaukee papers. The Catholic grade school I went to on Milwaukee's south side was smaller than OLA but very simular and less than 90 miles away. The nuns that taught us were of the same order of nuns at Lady of the Angles and went to the same convent. Some of the nuns at our school knew nuns at Angels so there was a this personal, emotional conection the nuns had that could be felt in class.

The newspapers, the photos, the short distance between locations, the simulataries in schools, that could have been us. That could have been any number of places.

After the Our Lady of the Angles at our school fire drills became routine and fire alarms instaled. There was a complete change in awareness.

The only thing more numbing as a grade schooler, November 63.


Posted by: Debbie On: 3/15/2011 ID: 550
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Augusta & Kostner
Last night I was attempting to recall pivotal moments in my life. I hadn't thought about the OLA Fire in years, perhaps I've been supressing it, but an image came to mind. I have fleeting glimpses of childhood memories before the fire. I was age 6, in 1st grade at Orr. I don't remember Kindergarten or first grade there-nothing. The image from the OLA fire that came to me was identical to some of the photos on the News Page. (I found this website tonight on Google) However, the image I recalled was a child jumping from a window. Did I see this on TV? Or in a newspaper photo? Regardless, it scared me in a big way. I went to St Cyril's 2nd grade for 2 months, and if I remember correctly, the very small school was on a 2nd floor perhaps above the church. I remember being very anxious about that. However, in November, 1959 we moved to the far westside and from 2nd grade forward in a more modern Catholic school my childhood memories began. I'm thinking this devastating tragedy was my first horrific experience, not personally but as part of a community. I can't imagine if I had experienced any of it personally. God bless-


Posted by: Candyce On: 3/10/2011 ID: 549
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Middletown, New Jersey
Since I was a child, I have experienced nightmares of being in a burning building and not being able to get out. I now know it is the result of the OLA fire. I remember when the fire. I was watching TV and the story came on the news. I was transfixed, sad, and at such a horrified that such a thing could happen to innocent children. I remeber seeing a picture of a burned child praying at his desk that was in a magazine. Thank God for laws to prevent this tragedy from happening again.


Posted by: Anna Barsanti-Ventura On: 3/1/2011 ID: 548
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
My father, Robert Barsanti, was in that school on that day. A 5th grader who had no clue how his life was going to change in a split second. The stories and details that my dad tells me leave me speechless. I can't even imagine what each student, teacher, or parent went through that awful day, let alone the days, weeks, or years that followed.
My heart goes out to each family member that was effected by that fire.
I am so proud of what my dad did December 1, 1958 to survive. He is my hero. And although I was not around then, those stories, photos, and memories that my father tells me makes me so appreciative of life.
God Bless those students and families.


Posted by: Carole (Schmidt)LaPlante On: 2/28/2011 ID: 547
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Tinley Park, (south of Chicago)
I was eight years old and came home from school that day and found my mother crying. She told me about the fire and how so many innocent lives were lost. She said we must pray for all those families. I'll never forget the emotion and sadness everyone felt. I was glad to see this site and know that other people have remembered this story. Thank You.


Posted by: Woodworker On: 2/15/2011 ID: 546
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Laramie Ave. And Lake St.
Now 60, I'm sitting here with a loved one from NC, in NC telling stories about growing up in the city. Then remembering the OLA fire, and that I transferred to HOC (Our Lady Help Of Christians)prior to the fire that school year. Although just 8 at the time, I can remember clearly the loss. As I lost a cousin in the tragedy. Not totally understanding the magnitude at the time, my eyes tear in this reflective review. Our classrooms became makeshift as the stundents from OLA came on buses to share our rooms and resourses. We prayed and prayed, for those lost and those hurting. As I have been tought and as I believe, our God will always be with those who lost thier life, and the families who live with the loss of loved ones. Now as I did then, I do now and pray.


Posted by: schlmarm On: 2/3/2011 ID: 545
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Brooklyn, New York
I was 8 years old, and living in Brooklyn, New York. I remember hearing the tragic news on TV, and looking at the pictures in the NY Daily News of this sad event. It could have happened to any of us. The school buildings in those days, especially the Catholic schools were antiquated and overcrowded. To this day, as a teacher, I am ever vigilant about conditions in our school and the importance of students understanding the serious nature of a fire drill, and knowing what to do in the event of an emergency. God bless and keep those who perished that day.


Posted by: Janice On: 1/30/2011 ID: 544
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Rennselear (Albany), NY
In December 1958 I was a nine-year old second-grader and attended a small elementary Catholic school - St. John's Academy - in the Albany, NY area. I remember our teacher telling us about a school in Chicago that had a fire and about the children who tried to escape, standing in the windows, while flames engulfed them. The story left quite an impression on me. I have always wondered about this story as, at the time, I never saw nor read any newspaper articles on it nor heard any TV news coverage. For some reason, today I tried to google the story. I knew it took place in Chicago and that "Angels" was part of the school's name. I found this site and spent hours looking at the illustrations and photos and reading about the events of that day. Although I was happy to finally get some clarification on this long ago story, I found it to be very sad. I just want you to know I carried your story with me for years.


Posted by: Teresa On: 1/23/2011 ID: 543
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Rock Island, Illinois
I was almost 9 years old when the fire occurred, and attended a Catholic school that was smaller but built similar to OLA. I also lived directly across the alley from a 3-story public school that was similar. A year later, our family had to move because our whole block was being demolished, including the school, in order to build a new, single-story public school. In the meantime at my own parochial school, cement stairways, fire doors and other renovations were being done at record speed. If there was any good to come of this tragedy, it's that it gave the entire country a wake-up call.


Posted by: Gail McBrayer On: 1/20/2011 ID: 542
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Terre Haute, Indiana
I remember coming home from school & my mother was making a long distance day time call (unheard of in those days, very expensive) because I had cousins that attended a Catholic School in Chicago & she was terrified that it was their school.
It was a terrifying story that I often thought of, then 2 years ago at my Bible Study class at Suncrest Christian Church someone said she was a survivor of that fire. She couldn't say more than a few words. so I bought the book "Sleeping With The Angels". It was heartbreaking to read, & Otter Creek School was exactly like that building. Within 2 years the elementary school had been replaced with a new building, and 2 years later the rest of the school had been replaced. I'm sure that fire made many schools look at their buildings and relize what fire traps they were.
I was telling my cousins about the book, and they had a cousin who was a Nun there. She had gone back in because some of the children had been afraid and didn't follow the class out of the building. they had to crawl out because of the smoke and she rolled them down the stairs to people below who ran in and caught them.
The remembrance of that day makes me so much more aware of fire exits, drills, and safety. A terrible tragedy that probably saved thousands of lives as the realization of the school building hazards were so suddenly and sadly brought to the attention of civic leaders.