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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Posted by:

Patricia (Guzzi) Hund

On:

9/25/2023

ID:

710

Enrolled on 12/1/58?	Present on 12/1/58?	Injured?	Age	Grade	Classroom	Teacher
Yes	No	No	5	K	800 Hamlin	Sr. Mary Remi

I was in Kindergarten at the Queen of the Angels school that day. Our classroom was nearby on the 800 block of Hamlin Ave., on the first floor. I’ll never forget that day. I was in the afternoon class. Suddenly we all heard the fire engines, and all the noise coming from the Queen of Angels school nearby. Our teacher, Sr. Mary Remi, had us go underneath our desks. We were so terrified. I lived on Iowa St. at that time with my paternal grandparents living just below us. My mother and younger brother were visiting my aunt, who lived nearby on Hamlin that day. In the afternoon they heard all the sirens, Horrified, they hurriedly ran down to pick me up. It was just horrible seeing the burning building and we just watched in horror. My mother and aunt were shocked to see what was happening. Later upon arriving home, my grandmother who lived just below us was screaming out the front door, “where’s Patti, where’s Patti”, she didn’t see me at first because I was walking slowly behind my mother.

The very next day we walked over to the building to see it. I still can’t believe what I saw. Horrible! My father’s cousin died in the fire. Her name was Carol Gazzola. I will never forget seeing a picture of her at my grandmother’s house afterwards. I always think of this event and wonder if I had been born a year earlier I may have been in that building that day. May God bless all of the victims of that horrible fire at our Lady of the Angels school.

Posted by:

Bob Langer

On:

9/22/2023

ID:

709

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

A friend of the family Joseph Casale arrived at the school at 2:43 pm to pick up his children. He then went into the school trying to help but was forced out by the fire. He then was catching children who were jumping out of the 2nd floor windows. He did pick up 4 children that had jumped from the 2nd floor and took them to the hospital..I am looking for anyone who currently knows the Casale family so I can reconnect.His son John Casale might be the one I'm looking to contact. his daughter Jennifer has passed..Any help? bob 480-221-8664

Posted by:

Mary Cahill

On:

6/29/2023

ID:

708

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

I was in 7th grade at Most Blessed Sacrament School in southwest Philadelphia, PA. I don't specifically remember the day of the fire, but someone, a nun, a relative, told us about it. My impression for years was that it happened at a 'Holy Angels' school somewhere in Philadelphia. I never forgot the detail of the nun who rolled the children down the stairs. My school was very old, with wood floors and stairways and wooden door frames and window sills. I could picture it happening. Now, with the internet, I've found this site and think back to the horror I and my classmates felt hearing about all those children who died. I'm sure a generation of Catholic schoolchildren across the country still remember.

Posted by:

Matthew Frawley

On:

5/29/2023

ID:

707

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

My mother's sister is Michele McBride. Michele wrote a book titled The Fire That Will Not Die. She was severely burned and suffered broken bones on that day. I was born about a year and a half after the fire. As a boy 5 or 6, I remember she would be in her bedroom whenever we visited. My mother would explain to me that she was embarrassed by her scars. But as I had never seen her before the fire, her looks were all I had ever known her by. I remember being confused. I just knew that I enjoyed being in her presence as she always made me feel special. Because isn’t that what good aunts do, make their nephews and nieces feel special?

As a side story, I was baptized by Fr Joe Ognibene. In the late 90s, I flew in to Chicago from Washington DC for luncheon in honor of certain patrons of the O'hare Airport chapel. Fr. Joe was seated between my youngest brother and my mother. When I stopped by the table to greet the good father and my mother, she insisted that my brother give up his seat for me, which he did. Fr. Joe, my mother and I, along with my dad, shared stories and good cheer. My brother found a table with some young women who were employees of the Airport. My brother eventually married one of those women. They have been married since about 2003.

Posted by:

On:

3/21/2023

ID:

706

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	In Chicago the next Parish Our Lady Helo of Christians

I was attending a Girl Scout meeting in the basement of our school Our Lady of Helo of Christians which had the same order of Sisters the BVMs. Someone interrupted our meeting to tell us that a fire was at Our Lady of Angels a neighboring parish . We were told to go home. After a couple of weeks our school day was divided . We attended during the morning and O L A children during the afternoon. I volunteered in the office for a very short time . I heard and saw both kids and nuns crying .Sharing our day was a temporary solution arrangements were being made for their school to be moved to a local public school. My uncle was a young Chicago Policeman at the time he answered the call shortly afterwards he quit his job . Father Sam Ognibene the brother of Father Joseph who served at OLA and was a hero during the fire, was at our Parish. Eventually I went to Siena High School with many of the survivors of the fire. We never talked about it much as a student the sadness was overwhelming for the survivors. It’s a memory you never forget,

Posted by:

Debi Kopis Rollinson

On:

12/3/2022

ID:

705

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	932 N. Hamlin Ave.

We lived about 1/2 block from the school. On the day of the fire, I was 4 1/2 years old and was playing on our back porch when I saw the smoke. I told my mom and in a panic, she rushed with me down to the school to find my brother. It took awhile to find him because of the crowds and mass confusion. Fortunately, he was on the first floor and escaped without injury. Sadly, a friend and neighbor Mark Stachura, died in the fire.
Blessings to all the victims, families and friends of OLA.

Posted by:

S W Trok

On:

12/2/2022

ID:

704

Enrolled on 12/1/58?	Present on 12/1/58?	Injured?	Age	Grade	Classroom	Teacher
Yes	Yes	No	10	5	107	Don’t remember

I was very fortunate to survive the horrible fire unharmed. My thoughts and prayers are still with the friends and families that lost loved ones during this tragedy.

Posted by:

Susan

On:

12/1/2022

ID:

703

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

My Godparents lost their only daughter in that fire. They never really recovered from that devastation. Also, that fire was the reason my mom and dad decided to move to the suburbs where there were more modern built schools that would be safer for my sister and me. Praying for you today, Karen, certain that you are singing with the heavenly angels worshiping God.

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