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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: Mary Beth LaBanca On: 12/1/2019 ID: 688
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
Uuuugggghh!!! Why does this day always remind me of these sweet innocent children? All the wonderful and amazing things they were going to contribute to the world and never got the chance. I wasn't even born yet. Praying for all involved, all who lost their lives and all who were affected by this SENSELESS tragedy. I pray that somehow God will comfort those left behind and to all 95 in heaven, I'm sure they are happy and this is all behind them. It's us left behind that are left to grieve and try to figure out this craziness even after all these years. If only the door on the top floor would have been closed. Just a closed door. If someone somehow would have gotten that disturbed boy some help sooner. And to think he knew he killed all those people, people he knew, and continued to set fires at other places through the years. It boggles my brain to think of the magnitude of his sickness!! How did he live with himself for the rest of his life? Love and prayers to all, God bless everyone involved that day all those years ago.


Posted by: Grizz65 On: 10/8/2019 ID: 687
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before northern suburbs
I lived a mile south of OLA, just south of Garfield Park...Madison and Homan. We lived in the 3400 block of Monroe St. I walked two blocks east to Marshall for kindergarten and most of first grade.

We moved from the neighborhood in March of 1954, when I was still in first grade. My new school was almost just over nine miles due north of OLA, and about a half-mile to the east.

I was a 6th grader on the day of the OLA fire. It was a bright sub-freezing early-winter day. My seven-year-old kid sister was watching "Susan's Show" on WBBM-TV, and she was laughing at "Mister Pegasus, the Talking Table" when the first awful bulletin interrupted the show. It only got worse after that, much worse, for at least another six hours.

The news kept pouring out of the TV and the numbers kept climbing, until the death toll was past ninety. Late that night my father brought home the extra edition of the Daily News. For days, I read the newspaper stories. I was transfixed by the graphic images I saw. I could neither look at the photographs...nor manage not to. I began having nightmares about the fire. I had nightmares for weeks, and,like so many other Baby Boomers of a certain age, have never really forgotten. It has remained with us, and will until we, too, die. As I was the same age as many of the victims and had lived in a nearby neighborhood, I soon realized, to my shock and horror, that if it could happen to them...it could easily happen to me!

My greatest fear has always been of being trapped in a fire. The year before the OLA fire, I had learned about the terrible 1903 Iroquois Theater fire, in Chicago's Loop, that killed over 600, mostly women and children. A couple of years later, when I was around 13, I began devouring all the library books I could find about famous fires and deadly fire disasters. After a couple of years of that, I couldn't take it anymore, and got into reading other things, like history and sports.

For many years I was absolutely certain that I was the only one who became terrified about being in a fire because of OLA, and that there must be something wrong with me. But now, thanks to this website and others like it, I finally realize that I am far from alone. Many people my age, and especially Chicagoans who were of school-age that day, felt as I did. And we still remember how we felt. True, there are millions our age who don't, but thousands do...and hundreds of them, from all over the country, have expressed their feelings here.

My first dentist, as a kid, was Dr. Dorothy Rizzo, DDS...she was very unusual for the Fifties. Few dentists were female and Italian back then. And she was also unique for specialized in treating youngsters. Her office was above the old Alamo Theater, on Chicago Avenue, a few blocks from OLA. I later heard stories about how the authorities called upon her and made use of her dental records. I don't even know if this is true or not. But just thinking about it bothers me, and has haunted me for many years.

In 1992 I left Chicago, married my former college sweetheart, and moved to Cleveland. She attended Catholic school there, through fifth grade, but was in public school in 1958. She has no clear memories of the OLA fire. I have tried many times to get her to understand just what it was like to be a traumatized grammar-school kid in Chicago in December of 1958, and what an awful Christmas it was, but some things are just beyond words.

Whenever I hear the songs that were on the radio then..."Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"...the "Chipmunks' Christmas Song"...and especially "The Little Drummer Boy"...I remember...and I recall how awful those days were.

Ironically, I now live close to another old Catholic school, here in Cleveland, that is named Our Lady of the Angels. And of course, whenever I pass it, a chill goes through my blood that the natives will never, ever even begin to understand. They weren't eleven years old and living in Chicago on that terrible day. Some things, you just can't explain.

Godspeed to all who were there.

Grizz65
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Posted by: Mike Holoka On: 8/7/2019 ID: 686
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Detroit
I was 8 years old and remember the fire vividly in the news. The nuns at St Agnes in Detroit told us about the fire. 90 plus dead and three nuns a horrible unthinkable tragedy. My mom just cried all night when this happened. Well as it turns out we moved to Chicago and I attended OLA in 1960 as a fifth grader. I realized it was the same school that had burned down. I think it just opened in 1960. Very nice structure and no one messed around during fire drills!Some in our class had lost relatives in the fire. Rarely talked about it but occasionally details would come out. Not many families were not touched as this was a very close mainly Italian parish. My heart still aches when I think about the tragedy that occurred. I went to school with the lady that started this page.


Posted by: Carol Ford On: 5/16/2019 ID: 685
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chicago, IL
I am writing on behalf of my mother, Carol Ford, formerly Carol Kostelny. She was a registered nurse and took care of a young boy named Leroy (Digiglio?)and a young girl named Louise Loveless. She fondly remembers Louise as being the bravest little girl at 10 years old, with over half of her body burned. They were very close and my mother is now 82 years old and I thought it might be neat to somehow plan a reunion. If anyone happens to have any way of contacting Louise Loveless or her family, we would be much obliged by any news :) She also asked about Leroy and I just can't seem to find any information on either of them. My name is Christi and I can be reached via email at christiciani@gmail.com. Hoping someone knows anything! fingers crossed.


Posted by: peg On: 1/7/2019 ID: 684
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 recently researching on ancestry.com and found my moms sister grace everman and her husband bart who on 1940 census records show them working and living at the convent of Olga. I remember pictures of her working in an institutional type kitchen..and made some awesome chocolate chip cookies.It shows her as bei g the dietitian and bart as something to do w the roof 'tinner'? it also list of course the nuns that were present at the convent in 1940. if anyone does remeber grace everman please let me know. bless u all for being here today to share your stories.


Posted by: Don Kuss On: 12/5/2018 ID: 683
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Norwood Park-NW side of Chicago
I am in the process of reading the book TO SLEEP WITH THE ANGELS. It is just absolute horror but I want to get through it because my church RIVER CITY COMMUNITY CHURCH is located at 3709 W. Grand Ave. Our adopted school is Cameron Elementary at 1234 N. Monticello. The kids come to our church after school for tutoring. The kids from OLA lived all around where our church is located. The thought of what happened 60 years ago has made me fall in love with our young people from the community who now live in those homes or apartments that these angels from 1958 lived in, it made me fall in love with these kids all over again. It's a different community now and guns and drugs are the major form of danger now. Hopefully we can save many as those folks outside the school and inside did 60 years ago. Also, I was wondering after the fire were there any families that relocated to the Norwood Park area. If you did please get in touch with me-Donald Kuss on Facebook.


Posted by: Jayne Kranc On: 12/3/2018 ID: 682
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Edgewater nrighborhood
When I worked for ABC Great States, later Plitt Theaters, I got involved with the Theater Historical Society and wrote a paper about the Iroquois Theater fire. That got me started on researching fires that led to changed in fire codes which led me to OLA, which shook me to the core. I've never been able to get past the way the tragedy made me feel, especially at this time of year. I never finished my book on fires that changed fire codes, but I did write a fictional story that was based on a family affected by the OLA fire. If anyone would be willing to read it to check the facts for me, please let me know.
jaynekranc@yahoo.com


Posted by: Rosalie (Guzzo) (Lutzka) O’Brien On: 12/2/2018 ID: 681
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes Yes 13 8 209 Sr. Davidis
It’s taken me 60 years to put my thoughts in writing. I’m writing this after going to the 60th Anniversary mass. I do love seeing my friends and classmates of OLA.
I was in 8th grade Sr. Davidis room on the day of the fire. I thank our beloved nun who did a great job trying to keep us calm in a horrible situation. She told us to open the windows to get the attention of the other classes across the courtyard. I got out like my classmates through the back window. Father Joe and Sam Tortorice helped me get on the small ladder that they put on a small canopy below our window. My twin brother Frank and I were very fortunate to escape with no physical injuries. Many of my friends were not as fortunate. One in particular was my friend Nancy Pilas who I saw before entering my classroom after lunch. I told her I would see her after school. She was in the room next door to mine room 211 that lost 25 students. Nancy was one of them. I unlike Nancy was able to
continue on with my life. Got married and had two children. Lost my first husband after forty years of marriage.
Went to many OLA reunions and was fortunate to marry again to a former classmate Bill
O’Brien. He was the love of my life. Unfortunately he passed away after almost two years of marriage. I treasure all my family and many friends and know as our faith tells us we will be reunited with those we have lost living this life.


Posted by: Marianne Kwiatkowski On: 12/1/2018 ID: 680
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Milwaukee WI
My thoughts and prayers are with the OLA community on this milestone anniversary. Those who were lost and those who survived are not forgotten.


Posted by: Gail Telchuk-Turnes On: 12/1/2018 ID: 679
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Keystone and Augusta Blvd.
I doubt there was any area near OLA that wasn’t affected by the fire. Several people in my neighborhood lost a child in that tragedy. It was something we all knew about, but no one ever talked about.
My brother was supposed to go to OLA. Fortunately my parents hadn’t registered him in time. As a result he ended up at St. Francis of Assisi for that school year. My parents were blessed to have him with them for a few more years. He was taken from us in a fiery car accident. Life is ironic.
In those days we didn’t play by the houses of those who had lost their children. As if that would spare them from remembering their loss. I doubt it did. Nothing could. Instead in my mind it must have been a constant reminder. Almost a forced exile from life itself. A mark on the door post saying here is where no children play, no joy heard.
I myself would have welcomed the laughter of a child, to remind myself of the joy I had, even if the time I held that life near to me was just a memory.
To those parents, many who have since passed from this life to the next, my you experience the joy and peace of an eternity with those you loved so dearly.
Though out my life my father would tell me of that day, never forgetting what he saw. He came home without a coat that night, having laid it on the body of a boy who was taken way to soon. So many lives were changed that day in ways that are so different to put into words.