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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: Susanne On: 6/16/2012 ID: 593
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 born many years later and grew up in the suburbs but learned of the fire through my teacher

One chilly spring day when I was in 4th grade, the fire alarm went off when my teacher was out of the classroom. My whole class sat around with blank stares wondering what to do. I evacuated the building and stood with the 5th grade teacher at the front of the line with his class. When my teacher came racing up and asked where everyone else was, I no more than pointed up the fire escape stairs and my teacher was off and racing up them to find out where everyone else was; they were STILL sitting at their desks!!! o_O

When we were given the all-clear to return to our classroom, my teacher told us of the horrible fire at Our Lady of the Angels.

At the end of the day, I remember being sent out for end-of-day, go-home-from-there recess with the 5th grade and my classmates having to stay late to listen to more OLA and why it was a BAD choice to stay at their desks when the alarm went off when my teacher was out of the room. Seemed like a no-brainer to me to get up and walk out, I'll never understand why my classmates stayed at their desks. Especially considering that the ceiling of our classroom was an elegant wooden truss system that would've ignited so fast, they wouldn't have had a chance for escape had the room flashed over.

Hearing of the OLA fire was eye-opening. I was sad for all of the kids and instructors who had lost their lives that cold December day.

Since then, the elementary school I attended has removed the steel fire escapes and sealed off those doors as exits and made modifications to other parts of the school that, in the event of a fire, wouldn't serve as a viable egress, either. (The buildings aren't retrofitted with a sprinkler system, either) I PRAY that no fire ever occurs there; it would be a tragedy along the same magnitude and completely preventable.

What everyone at OLA went through and lost is unimaginable. I hope that everyone affected (survivors, family, etc.) can someday find peace. My husband grew up in the Humboldt Park area (he was born in 1954) but attended Von Humboldt School. Since he was only 4 at the time of the fire, he doesn't remember anything other than hearing of it on the news; he doesn't recall if his family knew anyone from OLA.


Posted by: anonymous On: 6/7/2012 ID: 592
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
I wrote the details of horrible tragedy that took place at my elementary school in the early 80s, but was hesitant to share it.

What is most important for me to say is that in a lot of ways I can empathize with what the OLA survivors have experienced. We didn't receive any counseling for our event either, and I would burst into tears at school all the time whenever a certain common sound would start up because it was a reminder. To this day I still will smell smoke for no apparent reason. It has taken me some time to learn not to panic when that happens.

I want to thank the webmaster for starting this site and all of the survivors who have been brave and kind enough to share your stories. You have given me hope and inspiration to know that even though you never forget these things, it is possible to go on and be well.

I am sorry for your pain and all of your losses. I am glad that this place is here now and able to give you the voice that was taken away from you at that time by not allowing you to speak about it.

You are all always in the hearts of others. God bless and keep you.


Posted by: DAVE ALBRICH On: 5/31/2012 ID: 591
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before PORTLAND, OREGON
I WAS IN THE FIRST GRADE AT HOLY REDEEMER SCHOOL IN PORTLAND WHEN THE TRAGEDY OF THE OLA FIRE HIT THE MEDIA. I REALLY NEVER FORGOT THOSE HORRIFYING PHOTOS IN LIFE MAGAZINE. IT IS BEYOND COMPREHENSION WHAT TERROR THOSE CHILDREN AND FACULTY ENDURED. SEEING THE RESOLVE OF THOSE DEDICATED SISTERS AND KNOWING THE SUFFERING OF THOSE PARENTS THAT DAY, MADE ME ALWAYS REALIZE A DEEP APPRECIATION FOR LIFE. I NEVER FORGOT THE SORROW OF THAT DAY.


Posted by: Sissy On: 5/9/2012 ID: 590
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before California
I remember hearing the news and watching the local news on television. We attended a Catholic School in San Anselmo, California and spent time in the church praying for the students and nuns, it seemed like a slow moving motion picture when the pictures of the fire fighters and the smoke and fire were shown on TV. I never enjoyed fire drills or dark center of the building type hallways after that. I always tried to remain on the main floor of a building too....never understanding why. Our school was single story and stucco with arcade type patios or walkways from the classrooms. Our auditorium was quite old, wood and dark with a wooden staircase and I believe only one way out. I did not enjoy entering or remaining in that building for long. Before I graduated from the school (8th grade) the school tore the auditorium down and put in a concrete auditorium that had many entrances and exits and was on the main floor with no second story. My family continued to pray for the families of the children for a long time. We heard that a new school was built at the site but I never wanted to see it or be around it. Our Lady of Angels was definitely named properly, those children and the nuns had a stairwell to heaven. Their families should find peace knowing they are all with GOD.


Posted by: George On: 4/30/2012 ID: 589
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Eastern Oregon
I now live in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. I belong to a yacht club which owns a 4 story, 100 year old plus, all wooden lodge in a remote location with no fire or ambulance service. On the 3rd and 4th floors there are hotel type rooms for families and guests to stay. There is a fire alarm system but no automatic sprinkler system.

I recently made a submission to the appropriate club committee asking for a resolution to proceed with the installation of an automatic fire sprinkler system. Much of my presentation was comparing our lodge to the OLA school, showing the committee many photos from this site, and suggesting that our lodge with its remote location, 3 fireplaces, commercial kitchen and higher number of floors where families sleep, is more hazardous than OLA and is a potential disaster waiting to happen. I quoted passages from the book To Sleep With the Angles referencing how fast the fire spread and that no students or adults from any classroom on the second floor were able to access the 2nd floor hallway to get to the exit stairs. Also the fact that even with the first fire engines arriving within five minutes of the phone call, many lives were still lost.

The committee was persuaded and voted unanimously to proceed with the sprinkler system, even though the cost will not be insignificant. The pictures of firemen carrying deceased children our of OLA were very compelling.

My point is that all these years later there is still "good" coming out of the 1958 OLA tragedy and that this site continues to serve useful purposes. Thank you.


Posted by: Cathy Clark On: 4/19/2012 ID: 588
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Illinois
I remember as a small child, my mother saying, "Oh those poor children" but wouldn't tell me what happened. I remember Howdy Doody and that's all. Then in November, 1970 , I was a senior at Granite City Senior High. The school dismissed. 2800 kids, I think. the fire alarms went of as we were boarding the busses. By 4 pm the auditorium collapsed. someone say fire to the curtain in the auditorium. The fire spread to the adjoining classrooms in the center of the school. GASP, group against society's pollution, met every Monday after school. The principal came over the intercom and said "get out now,". Only the assistant principal hurt his ankle as they handed school records out the window.
just minutes before the halls were crowed with nearly three thousand kids. We were out of school for about two weeks while classes were redlined. Going back we cpuld still smell the smoke. he guidance office was destroyed. Fire doors kept it from spreading to other wings and upstairs. I then learned of the fire at Our Lady of Angels. I knew what my mother was talking about years ago. O also believe our school was spared and lives were spared because of better safety standardsOur fire was right after school. Even without loss of life, I shudder to think what could have been. many kn detention that day were questioned but we never found out who did it.
God bless all who were there that day in Chicago. the school was righltly named. little angels and heroic people who helped and the people who live with the memories. God bless them all. fi


Posted by: rose bower On: 4/16/2012 ID: 587
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before chicago
I was a a student at St. Viator's about three or four miles from Our Lady of the Angels. I attended Alvernia High School with several students that were from OLA. They never spoke of that day and some with obvious injuries never mentioned how they were injured. The Church teaches that nothing ever happens without God's permission - except sin. If arson was the cause we must still trust in God's mercy that He is in charge and perhaps every victim that died went to heaven. Only when we are judged will any of this suffering make sense.


Posted by: Reagan On: 4/15/2012 ID: 586
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
This is somthing I wrote maybe a couple weeks ago when I discovered this site while looking at youtube videos. "I am John Jajkowski, and I went to OLA. I was in room 212. I wanted to be a preist. But someone, an arson set fire to my school December 1st, 1958. Because of OLA's highly flamable insides, the fire claimed not just mine but 91 of my schoolmates and 3 of our teachers. The fire burned unnoticed for almost 30 minutes! I was scared, as were my other classmates in room 212. When it was over a fireman brought my lifeless limp body out of my school. The picture made headlines, but that didn't change the fact that I am gone. But I'm with God, and all is well. I wacth over my family, and friends. December 1st, 1958. The day Chicago cried."


Posted by: Scott G. On: 4/10/2012 ID: 585
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
I went to a Catholic grade school in Brookfield, Illinois, in the late 70s. Whenever anyone dared misbehave during a fire drill, the nuns were intone, "Remember Our Lady of Angels." The lay teacher in sixth grade told us the story, and I remember her eyes tearing up.
I teach a college class in crowd behavior, and this topic has proved to fruitful for the students who researched it, especially the themes of panic, discharge, and leadership (or lack therof). One student even posited an interesting hypothesis that at the time of the fire, the students may have even though they had entered hell, and given the empahsis on hell in pre-Vatican II Catholicism, perhaps there is some truth to this statement, even without direct testimony.
I read the Cowan book in 2005 and remember trying to suppress sobs on the bus.
One more point of reference: I was born at St. Anne's Hospital four years after the event. I remember the order of nuns, the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, that ran the hospital, as I was also a patient there for two weeks in 1976, suffering from pneumonia.


Posted by: Mary S. On: 4/5/2012 ID: 584
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Alive, living near Halsted and Garfield Blvd.
I had completely repressed my memories of the fire until I was teaching in the Catholic school in Chicago I'd attended as a child. During my grade school days,I panicked every time we had a fire drill, or air raid practice. Fearing death, my heart would pound and I fought the tears of panic, praying and waiting for the end of the drill and a return of routine. I never connected the dots between my panic and the radio reports. In 1978,as a teacher during a fire drill, I suddenly remembered the day of the fire.

I have images of it being a cold, dark afternoon with my mother and I in the kitchen, mom talking on the phone with her sister. The radio was tuned to WGN and as she listened to the reports, I knew something was really wrong and I was hiding under the kitchen table having to be near my mom. That is the only time I remember seeing my mom cry as she heard those reports detailing the fire's horror and deaths of nuns and children. The events of that day traumatized me for many, many years.

I so look forward to reading "To Sleep with Angels." As the begining of this site stated, the effects of that day were felt around the world by many, many people. My sympathy and prayers are extended to all families still deeply affected by the loss of that day.