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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: Lillian Montemayor On: 6/26/2003 ID: 92
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before 1709 S. Racine chicago
My name is Lillian at the time i was 8yrs.old and my last name was Baumgardner.I was young but i remember my grandmother and my parents took me to visit some very nice family that were their friends.I was so shocked and hurt to find out their son Aurelius Chiappetta died in the fire i still rememberd going to the funeral and seeing all the pain his parents were in .It was a closed coffin i knew this boy and i can still hear the crying and the sadness and i can still see that beautiful smile he gave me when i met him.MY fathers name was james and my grandmothers name Lillian Baumgardner their both deceased now.My mother is still with us she is 80yrs.old now and i promised her i would try to see ifI wi Adaline i hope i spelled the name right.I just want to express we still remember them in our prayers and to all the loved ones who are in heaven now. I will continue to pray for all the survivers God bless them all.Before i sign off my mothers name is Carmen Baumgardner.Sincerely Lillian Montemayor Email Lillypp@msn.com Thank you.


Posted by: Carol Lloyd Neill On: 6/26/2003 ID: 91
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before 1036 N. Lawndale
I learned of this web site last night. My cousin, Dennis Jackowski, who would have been in 7th grade at OLA in 1958, sent me the link. Dennis and his younger sister, Joann, who was 7 at the time of the fire, had moved to New York because their dad was on a year long assignment for Western Electric.

I was in the first class that went all the way through the new school. I started kindergarten at the brand new school in 1960, graduated in 1969, and have class pictures and the dedication book for the new school. I will scan and share them.

I lived at 1036 N Lawndale. I was three at the time of the fire and have extraordinarily vivid memories of the day. I was playing on the living room floor when my mom looked out the window and said, "Look at those crazy kids running down the street without coats - in December!" Then we heard the sirens. Lots of sirens, coming from every direction. The sirens kept coming and coming. I still get chills when I recall the look of absolute horror on my mother's face as she realized what was happening. She clutched her throat and said, "Oh, my God, it's the school." She put a coat on and ran out the front door. She ran as far as Augusta and Hamlin, then stoppped. She was already choking on smoke. Parents and grandparents were screaming and sobbing as they ran toward the school. She turned around and walked back home.

Of course, no block in the neighborhood was untouched. While no one ever talked about it, the reminders were there every day of my childhood. There was a girl who lived on the corner of Augusta and Lawndale who was extensively scarred and only had limited mobility. Mayor Daley had a taxi cab pick her up and take her to and from school every day. I remember being deeply moved when two fire-scarred young adults in the parish were married. Our beloved Monsignor Cussen never fully recovered from the heartbreak and was an empty shell of a man for his remaining years.

I also remember every December 1st of my grade school career. As the end of the school day approached, we were warned by the teachers not to speak to - or even look at - the reporters and TV cameras that were outside the school. It was a classic 1950's way of dealing with grief... ignore it. At that time, our community truly believed it was cruel to run a news story on the anniversary of the fire. I'm not sure if we realized the families who lost children didn't need a news story to remind them of the void in their lives.

After I grew up, and moved out of Chicago, people would complain about being treated poorly at Catholic schools, but I can honestly say that at OLA we were treated with great love and tenderness... perhaps because our teachers knew better than most how fragile life was and how precious little children are.


Posted by: Marie Borelli Woodruff On: 6/26/2003 ID: 90
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before 5715 N. Campbell Chicago
I was attending St. Hilary's Grammar School. I remember coming home that day and my mother told me about the fire. The reason for my family's interest in the fire, was that a girl that I had grown up with, she is a day older than me, was a student at OLA. I remember that we had been working on Christmas pictures at school and I had the picture clutched in my hands and was crying because I really didn't understand what was happening. My mother tried to get in touch with the girl's family but either there was no answer or the line was busy. I don't think it was till the next day that we were able to get in touch with the family. It was then that I found out that Janice Paganucci was safe. I can't remember if she was in school that day or not, all I know is that she was safe.

Last night while watching TV, I saw a person who I worked with at Teletype talking about the fire. I never knew that Mike Consiglio had any connection to the OLA fire. I saw the web site and felt that I needed to see the site and find out what other people were saying.

I hope that the survivors and their children and families will find peace from this trauma someday. I still recall things about that fire even though I only had a remote connection to the event, I cannot even begin to understand the depth of feelings for those who survived, and the dispair felt by the families who lost their children in what can only be described as a horrific day.


Posted by: Harold Carr On: 6/8/2003 ID: 89
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before 943 N. Harding
My name is Harold Carr and my daughter Kathleen Mary Carr was killed in the OLA fire in Room 210. Diane Karwachi lived next door to us. She was also buried next to where Kathleen was buried. The Malankoski boys are also buried close to the girls.

On the Sunday night before the fire, when I told Kathy and her sister it was time for bed, Kathy said she was scared, and asked me to lay with her. After awhile, she said she was okay now and instead of saying "good night daddy", she said, "good bye daddy"!

When she came home for lunch the day of the fire, she asked her mother if she could stay home. Her mother told her she needed to go back to school, and to remember when you are in school the nun is like your mother and you need to do what ever she tells you to do. She died in the arms of Sister Mary Seraphica Kelley. Because her mother sent her back to school where she died, her mother carried that guilt the rest of her life. Her mother passed away in 1991.

We never had any counseling and we were told to bury your kid and go back to work on Monday as though nothing happened. I wish we would have had counseling like they did after the Columbine tragedy.

To the Catalano girl that lived acrossed the street and remembers Kathy, God Bless you. I would love to hear from you, or anyone else who remembers her.

Harold CArr

8865 E. Baseline Road

Mesa, AZ 85208-5300

480-357-9638

Gammer812@aol.com


Posted by: Josephine Bastianoni On: 5/23/2003 ID: 88
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before River Forest, IL
I was a freshman at a Catholic girls high school and I remember coming home on that December 1st and my mother had the radio on. She had been listening to the news and was very anxious about the fire. I had a younger sister and brother and I am sure that she wished that they would get home. I think her mother's instincts contributed to her concern even though we were all quite far from Our Lady of the Angels school. I also remember listening intently to the radio reports and the t.v. coverage that nights. I remember how the city was in shock and how intense the subsequent days of mourning were covered in the news. The first time I became aware of how people's lives continued to be affected was when my husband and I built a new house in Schaumburg in the early 1970's. As we planned the house we wanted to add a fireplace. In talking with neighbors, they told us that they would never put a fireplace in their home, as one of them had been a survivor of the fire. I had naively never thought about this kind of fear. My husband also worked with a man who had made the same choice for the same reasons.
I became and teacher and I have never forgotten what happened. Last night when I listened to Steve and Johnny interview Charlene, the memories and feelings began to surface in me. I also realize why I am so strict as I move my students out of our building. When I got onto this website, I toured the site and saw the layout of the building. It is very much like the school I teach in. I listened last night as one women (also a teacher) spoke about how her school used the video to show the children how important it is to take the drills seriously. I have copied down the phone number so that I can purchase "Angels Too Soon." I will never let my students take a drill lightly. I want to thank Charlene and all of the others for their courage as they have embraced life in spite of their early experiences. I was particulary interested in Charlene's husband's explanation of why such a trauma is particularly difficult to work through for the survivors.
I would also like to add that it was unfortunate that there were no such things as "crisis counselors" in those days to help all who went through those experiences of intense grief back then. I would also like to thank those who have set up this website. . .there are many of us who may not have realized that we have not fully grieved the images and stories we saw. God bless everyone who has offered the rest of us to share our concern and compassion to them.Hi JAB,AGB


Posted by: Ken Nolan On: 5/23/2003 ID: 87
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before 635 North Ridgeway
My name is Ken Nolan. My family lived south of OLA on Ridgeway and Huron. I had attended OLA from First through Fifth Grades. I then transferred to Ryerson due to an abuse incident by a nun that even my hard-nosed Father (St. Mel’s grad) would not tolerate. I had two sisters and a brother who attended OLA as well. I was in the Alamo Post drum corps with other kids from OLA, a corps later known as the Royal Airs.

My sister Margie was in room 212 until we moved from the neighborhood on October 1, 1958. The move probably saved her life.

We moved to Villa Park in October, 1958 but I commuted to drum corps practice twice a week in the neighborhood. It was like I never left, because of the drum corps I was always hanging out there. The neighborhood was changing but only on the far south and southeast sides around Garfield Park and along Kedzie. You could see the change when you went swimming at the Garfield Park Pool. Like a lot of us not going to a Catholic High School we had to go to Marshall High where you fought for your life each day. So moving was an easy decision for our family.

I was at York High School in Elmhurst in the band room working on cleaning instruments the day of the fire. They let us listen to WJJD while we worked and the radio broke in with a bulletin about the fire and telling everyone to stay away from the area. I left the school immediately and hitchhiked back to the neighborhood arriving at about 3:30 pm.

The impact of what I saw that day and evening has never left me for a moment. I can never imagine what you kids who were in the fire went through. But for me and who I was at that time it really changed me. The things I saw when I got to the school site did a real mind job on me.

I came back that day because I had just felt that I to be with my friends and when I got to the school the sights and sounds were unforgettable. The chaos and agony on Iowa street, the visits to St. Anne’s that evening looking for friends, the realization that this was reality and my friends and younger brothers and sisters of my friends had died or were badly injured left me a different person.

In the drum corps we had a color guard sergeant, Francis Guzaldo as well as Valerie Thoma, Roger Ramlow from the corps who perished. We in the corps created a special flag to carry with us to remember them, we have gone to the remembrances each year since included in the year just past.

If I mentioned names of people who passed away or were injured and whose relatives are connected through this site and I did not give them the proper reverence I apologize, this is so difficult to discuss and I wasn’t directly effected by fire, I’m just trying to say I try to remember you all and you have never left my recollections for a moment.

I can’t read the book, “Sleeping with Angels”, I saw the “Angels Too Soon” program but only after I taped it so I could watch, stop and put it aside for a while and come back to it. The grief can still be so overwhelming. When I see the list of names at the end I lose it. I remember the faces of the younger brothers and sisters of people I knew, guys I played ball with, Danny “D” Pilas’s sister, Jerry Carr’s sister, Grasso, Sarno, Filpponio and on and on.

I remember the book “The Fire that will not Die” that came out in the early eighties. That was another one I couldn’t get through.

Many from the corps are like me and have great difficulty with these remembrances only because you are at once grateful it wasn’t you and at the same time ripped apart by the horror of what happened to so many people who were so close and who deserved a better fate.

Good Luck to You All

Ken Nolan


Posted by: Janet Personette On: 5/23/2003 ID: 86
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Dowagiac, Michigan
I heard Charlene on WGN radio on the Steve and Johnnie show very early this morning. I was in tears while I listened to her. My prayers are again with those families, students, teachers, fire and police and any one else that lived the horror of that day. I vividly remember watching that story unfold on WGN tv. That station came through then and now so well. I called one of my friends and told them about it and I remember that I was crying on the phone about it to them. We went to school in a 3 room country school with all 8 grades and about 50 kids at the most.

The whole incident really put fear in my heart. Back in 1986 while I lived on Long Island, I was hired by the post office as a regularly scheduled substitute. We went through classroom projects for 2 days. During a class on fire safety they showed a film about this large fire. They didn't tell us at first where the fire was, but many, many things about it came back to me so vividly. I knew before they told us where that fire was, I remembered it.

I have not seen the WTTW story, but I wish now that I had. I will never forget watching that story on tv. Ever. Thank God that things have changed and now there is support for these horrible events that seem to happen all too frequently now days. As I read the messages here on this board, I remember. And to know that those who witnessed this tragedy and the memories are so much more than mine.

To the victims, you are not forgotten. To the survivors, you are not forgotten either. I pray that you will be able to continue to carry on. Charlene, thank you for all you have done to help others get past this in any way they need.


Posted by: Serge Uccetta On: 5/23/2003 ID: 85
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes Yes No 12 7 208 Sister Mary St. Canice
I was in seventh grade in room 208 on the day of the fire. The other postings by my other former classsmates in room 208 are pretty much the same way I remember it.

Earlier on that afternoon I had the job of bringing the wastepaper bin to the basement of the school where the papers were thrown into the school furnace. On the way downstairs, I met Roger Ramlow who was also doing the wastepaper run from his room. Roger was in the eighth grade and a friend and neighbor of mine. Unfortunately, Roger didn't make it out that day and was one of the fire victims.

As I recall, we were seated alphabetically in our room, and so with my last name starting with a "U", I was seated next to the windows in the last row. When the room started filling with smoke, I was able to get to the windows quickly. I remember as we were all struggling to get out, someone in front of me jumped out of the window and I saw him land and he looked hurt. I got out on the window ledge and was getting ready to jump when the janitor (I thought it was Mr. Raymond) came into the alley and had a ladder. When I saw him I thought of getting his attention by throwing my shoe down at him but I thought if I had to jump, it would be better with shoes on. So I threw my glasses down at him and got his attention. He put the ladder up to my window but the ladder was short so I had to turn around and hang down off the window ledge to reach the ladder and get down. Other kids behind me were able to do the same.

I was one of the lucky ones who got out without any injury. Once down on the ground, I looked back up at the school windows and saw everyone screaming and jumping out. The Fire Department had just gotten there and they were doing the best they could to try to pull kids out and catch them as they jumped. It was an agonizing sight.

I lived on Lawndale and Augusta and left to go home to tell my parents I was OK. I headed for home down Avers and then down Augusta to Lawndale. As it turned out, my mother had heard that the school was on fire and ran to the school going up Lawndale and then down Iowa to the school. When I got home, our neighbor told me that my mother left in a panic to go find me and said I should go back to the school to find her.

When I got back to the school, there were large crowds of people and screaming parents in the street on Avers, but somehow I found my mother in the crowd and we went back home. We were a lucky family on that tragic day.

We all lost a lot of friends in that awful fire. Roger Ramlow lived accross the street from me; John Jajkowski was a friend who also lived on my street and I was at both of their funerals. Every street in our neighborhood had families who had suffered losses in the fire and the neighborhood never quite seemed the same after that.

I still remember most of the names of classmates, neighbors, and teachers from those days and I recognized many of the names of those who posted messages here. I wish all of you the best.

My compliments to Eric Morgan for the work he's done in putting this web site together.

Best Regards to all,

Serge Uccetta

sergeju@aol.com


Posted by: maepauline On: 5/19/2003 ID: 84
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Old Orchard Beach, Maine
I was born in 1945 and raised in Old Orchard Beach, a small town on the coast of Maine. Many miles away from the O.L.A fire. I was 13 at the time of the fire and remember reading the article and seeing the photos in the newspaper of the children that died in the fire. The memory stayed with me. I had always woundered what happened to the children that made it. I saw an Opera show a few years ago that had a few of the students from O.L.A. on her show.

When I was 8 years old and in the 3rd grade (I am now 58yrs)there was a house fire on our street and five children from the same family died. The oldest was a boy Johnny Whitcome. He made his first communion with me. The rest of the children were younger. That event stayed with me all my life. I think that is why I remember the O.L.A. fire story so vividly. I realise the fire I witnessed was not to the degree of the O.L.A. but in some ways the feeling are simaler. I to this day do not like sirenes from fire trucks. About 5yrs ago I went to the library to fine out infomation about the Whitcome fire and printed out the articles, also went to O.O.B. historical society for information. I asked my Dad what he remembered about that early morning fire that took place two weeks after Christmas. Tears came to his eyes and all he could say was "I always had my ladders on my truck but I took them off that night". He was an electrician. He was on his way to work that early morning when he could see the mother in the second story window at the time of the fire. She did make it. That was the first I had ever heard my Dad talk about the fire and I had to ask to get the infomation. As I am writing this a tear comes to my eyes.

I found this site by doing a search about the Hartford Conn. circus fire for a friend who was 2yrs old at the time and was at the circus.

I do not know if any body is interested in my story but I felt I had to tell it. I am not sure why I am rambeling on I quess I would like to say that maybe there are other people like me who remember the O.L.A fire from their childhood that was from a different part of the country. I wish all of you my best and God bless you all.


Posted by: Carol "Vinceri" Woodall On: 5/18/2003 ID: 83
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes Yes No 13 7 201 Sister Mary Andrienne
On the afternoon of the fire I was asked by Sister Mary Adrienne to go down to the 1st floor to assist the 1st grade teacher. If the 1st grade classroom would have been on my floor, it was located directly across from my classroom (201). At approximately 2:40 P.M. - 2:45 P.M. in the afternoon, the fire alarm went off. We were following our usual procedure during a fire drill and I was the first person out of the room to assist the children to the front door. As I approached the front door, I was the first one there. In trying to open that door, for some reason it seemed like it was jammed and I couldn't get it opened. Finally after struggling with the door, I finally got it to open.I don't know if maybe the combustion of the fire caused it to not want to open but at least I got it opened.The procedure that we were to follow was to cross the street and stand in front of the convent, which was located directly across the street from where my classroom was located.After standing there for a few minutes, I started to wonder why no one else was coming out of the school. All of a sudden, I saw smoke billowing out of my classroom (201)with some of my friends opening the window to try to get some air to breathe, and I thought that was strange. What kind of fire drill was this? My naive mind told me that the fire department was putting in fake smoke for this fire drill. I guess you call this the innocence of the young. I didn't quite know what was going on. You have to remember in those days children were innocent compared to today's children. We weren't prepared for disasters. Who would have thought this was a fire? At about this time, I decided to go to the side of the school where the rectory was and I was shocked to see huge flames shooting from the side of the building. I now became really scared and there now was a lot of commotion with sirens, parents, people in the neighborhood, etc. Because there was so much panic around us, the nuns asked the older children to take the younger ones inside the convent. You have to understand it was finally starting to sink in that my friends were losing their lives. At some point (approximately 1-1/2 hrs.) I remember that we were asked to leave the convent and go home because there was panic all around us. If you weren’t injured, you were asked to head for home. From this point on, I don't know if I was in shock or what, but I don't remember walking home in the cold. Remember that we were without coats, hats, and gloves because our coats, etc., were in the school. I have no idea how I made it home because I don't even remember the walk home.My parents were really happy to see me, but unfortunately for my best girlfriend, Millicent Corsiglia, across the street, her parents couldn't find out whether she was okay or not. My father went with Millicent’s dad to the hospitals and morgues to try to help find his daughter. It wasn’t until later that night that they had identified her at the morgue. This was just the start of realizing the seriousness of this disaster. Who would have known that so many people would have been killed? At this time my other girlfriend next door, Emily Furlan, and I were in a Drum and Bugle Corps and we had color guard practice that night. We didn't know what to do but we decided that we better go to practice because it was mandatory that we go to all practices. We decided to take the route that we usually took when we walked to school to see what was going on at the school. Portable lights were set up and shining on the buildings as the firemen continued to search the smoldering buildings for survivors. We continued on our way to practice and when we got there, no one was at the corps hall so we decided to go to our Business Manager's home and we found out that he was out searching for some members of our drum corps. We later learned that Frances Guzaldo (our Color Guard Captain) and Roger Ramlow (bugler) were killed in the fire. Also, Valerie Thoma (flag bearer) was in serious condition. Valerie was burned over 65% of her body. She finally passed away in March, 1959.The following week would be so heart breaking. Our corps decided to stand guard at the coffins of our drum corps members. Not only were we visiting our corps members but there were so many wakes going on around town. It was really hard to understand that I would never see my best friend, Millicent, and not being able to say good-bye. All coffins were, of course, closed coffins. They say things happen for a reason. I had another friend (Christina Vitacco) who went to Ryerson, the public school, with me. She decided to transfer to Our Lady of the Angels about the same time (or possibly a year before I decided to transfer to Catholic School). I wondered sometimes what would have become of her if she hadn't transferred to Our Lady of the Angels and stayed at Ryerson School. I guess it just wasn't meant to be.The days ahead were so hard and stressful. About a week and half after the fire, they made arrangements for the students to go 1/2 days at other schools. I went 1/2 days to Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic School. They provided box lunches for us and I don't remember how long we were on that schedule. They finally worked out with the public schools to allow us to have whole floors to accommodate our students. I went to Hay Public School, which we called Our Lady of Hay. Some went to Cameron, etc., etc.My teacher was Sister Mary Adrienne who was one of the nuns who was so involved in the rescue of the children who were on fire and who were jumping out of their classrooms trying to save themselves. As is understandable this greatly affected her. We were told that "WE WERE NEVER TO TALK ABOUT THE FIRE AGAIN". If she even heard one word that we tried to say that was in regards to the fire, we were reprimanded for doing so. We desperately wanted to talk about it since we all had friends and family who perished in the fire. We never knew exactly what happened and what was going on behind the scenes with the Diocese, etc., but I guess they also didn’t want us constantly talking about this disaster.Finally in 1996 a friend told me about the book "To Sleep With the Angels" and I read it. I have to say that while I was reading the book I felt like I was there again on December 1, 1958, because the images never go away. It was as clear as if it had just happened last week. I cried throughout the book because as he told the story with the names of the children, I knew some of them. I never knew details of the fire until I read this book. Can you believe 38 years without knowing what happened on that disastrous day, and I was there. The silence that we were to abide by at the school was unbearable. As children we just wanted some answers. Our lives would never be the same. What I remember most was that we WERE NOT ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT IT. That would never happen in today's world.I was one of the lucky ones because at least I was only emotionally scarred and not physically injured. I give credit to the survivors who were both physically and mentally affected and went on with their lives. I have a webpage (http://royal-airs.tripod.com/index.htm) with the Drum Corps I used to belong to and it has a Memorial Page dedicated to the students who lost their lives. Every year on December 1st we used to go to the cemetery and play taps in memory of all 92 students and three nuns who lost their lives in the school fire.

P.S. After looking at the diagram of the rooms on this website, it looks like I had been helping a 2nd grade teacher and not a first grade teacher. I remembered so many details of that day but I must have been mistaken about what grade I had been helping. I remember that the room I was helping was on the first floor right near the door and the room was across the hall from my homeroom which was on the second floor (201). The room I was helping was Room 102.