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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: Jim Ringenberger On: 11/5/2003 ID: 125
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Indianapolis, Indiana
I recently discovered your website and it has opened a floodgate of emotions for me. I just wanted to share my feelings.
Back in 1958, I was a student at a rural Indiana Catholic Grade School. I remember vividly learning of the Our Lady of Angels disaster. It left such an indullable mark, that it haunts me to this day.
First, our home burned in September of 1957. It was a new home and I guess there was some type of electrical wiring problem. Regardless, the home was completely destroyed and we lost most personal items. However, we were told how lucky we were to be alive.
Then the next year, so close to Christmas, I remember watching the horror on the news reports of the Our Lady of Angels school disaster. The next day, our school principal held a school meeting with us to discuss the situation. She told us that the children had died because they were not prepared for such an emergency and that many panicked and refused to listen to the nuns. She recounted that one nun knew her class would not be saved in time, so instructed the students to just stay in their seats to pray.
After that day, we had numerous fire drills. Reverend Mother would block certain stairways during the drill yelling, "this stair is on fire, find another way." We would then have to hurry to another exit. We also had to practice lying on the floor in the classroom under the windows in case we couldn't get out. I would lay there frozen in fear. When I would hear the fire alarm sound, my heart would pound and I would get physically nauseous.
The nuns prepared a memorial bulletin board, displaying pictures of the blaze and of some of the victims and survivors. We would say prayers for their souls during the morning and were instructed to recite the Rosary for them before we went to sleep, so they could be released from purgatory. I was so scared and confused.
I had recurring nightmares of the Chicago scene. I just knew one day it would be our school and we would all be trapped. To this day, I panick around fire. I still see the faces of those students in the pictures on the bulletin board.
If I have such horrific memories of this disaster, I can only imagine what each of you went through. You'll never know how many times through the years I have thought of the students and their families...wondering what happened...how they were coping...praying for each of you.
Thank you for this website. Maybe it can help lay to rest old terrors and sadness. Perhaps learning about how life went on for the survivors can make a difference.
May God bless you and grant you and the Our Lady of Angels "family" peace. Thanks again for sharing.

Jim Ringenberger
Educational Consultant
University of Excellence
Fort Myers, Florida
OFC: 239 335-8409 PCS: 239 822-4040
FAX: 239 335-8250 M/S: FLFTMC0301


Posted by: Charlene Kelly On: 11/4/2003 ID: 124
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chicago
I don't think anyone who was in Chicago on Dec. 1, 1958 will ever forget the tragedy that occurred. I didn't know about the fire until I arrived home about 4 p.m. My grandmother was sitting down watching tv. I had never seen her watch television in the afternoon. She told me about the fire and I sat down next to her for at least the next hour. I can't remember doing anything else that night but watching the coverage of that terrible fire.
The next day, at school, that was all we could talk about. I remember Sr. Neri, RSM leading us in the rosary for all of you who were involved-the victims and the survivors.
I taught in the Chicago Public Schools until 2000. There was a fire drill every month. When the kids would complain or start to fool around I would tell them about the fire at OLA. I only had to tell the story once to each class. During my tenure, there were two small fires.
Due to what happened at OLA, we quickly exited the building.
May God bless all of you and keep you safe and close to Him.


Posted by: Pete M. On: 10/22/2003 ID: 123
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes Yes No 7 2 Ms. Kathleen Di Domenico
It was a rather brisk day. We were in class during that afternoon when the firebells began to ring. The first thing everyone thought was that it was a fire drill. When we opened the door to the hallways however they were full of smoke so we knew it was the real thing. My teacher, Ms Kathleen was very calm but also very direct. We were to line up just as we practiced the fire drill two weeks earlier and proceed outside immediately. This time however we were instructed to leave everything and go! No time for coats or anything. We proceeded outside to our assigned positions on Iowa just across the street from the church. Being seven years old, I had no idea of how severe the fire was. It was almost a party atmosphere as we were able to get out of school. I remember vividly the first fire trucks arriving. We all cheered their arrival. Still no one knew of the deadly nature of the fire or how it would change our lives forever.
Because we were without coats, they made us go into the church for shelter. It was here that I finally realized the seriousness of the situation. One of the sisters (nuns) yelled out something to the order of "Oh my God -No! It can't be happening. All those poor kids. Oh God No!" We were then instructed to go directly home and to notify our parents as to what happened. Because of all the fire equipment coming down Augusta and Hamlin Avenues, My friend Tom and I went home by way of Thomas St. Meanwhile at home, bulletins broke out on the TV and my mom immediately came to school to look for me. Because I had taken a different route than normal, my Mom's and my courses never crossed. She got to school and quickly became frantic with fear. She was advised that the second graders all got out and were sent home. She then called home to verify that I Had Arrived and was OK. My Dad was informed of the Fire while at work and immediately came home. My dad was a very stong man and could deal with a great amount of suffering and pain. When he got home, my Mom accumulated some coats and blankets that dad was to take to the school to assist with the fire victims. He was witness to some very terrible ocurrences. He saw the burnt bodies, he saw the kids jumping from the building's third floor and he saw the firemen who were crying out of frustration. He also saw friends and neighbors who lost their children to the fire. It was more than he could handle. After he helped all he could, and donated the blankets and coats to the Sisters and to the Emergency personnel he came home .
Upon entering our home, he tried in vain to explain to my mom what he had witnessed. He just broke down and cried. This was the first time all day that the realization sunk finally in to my head, this was a very bad situation and that I could have lost some dear friends. It was not party time it was a tragedy. I know that the following week the OLA Parish became a close knit family of sorrow and support. December 1st will always send shivers down my spine. I was spared that day but could have been a victim had the fire started in another area of the bulding.
That is quite a bit for a seven year old to think about. My heart went out that day to the Moms and Dads who lost their children. I prayed for them often and think about them to this day!


Posted by: Joe Hare On: 10/18/2003 ID: 122
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
Marty, who is my father, was nineteen years old pumping gas into his car down the street when he saw the smoke. He asked a man working high on the side of a telephone pole what the smoke was from and the man replied that the school was on fire. My dad left his car at the gas station and ran to the school where he met up with others. The fire department was not on the scene. I know he and the others shook a gate loose in the court yard area and let trapped people out and then my dad went inside. He has never been able to speak of what happen after his foot stepped inside the doorway. He chokes up and his eyes well up with tears and after a moment or two he says the flashbacks are as real as the day it happened. So the years go by with his silent memories.
To this day, he cannot or will not recount to anyone, family or friends the horrors I think he must have witnessed. His respectful silents tells the story.
God bless the victims of the Our Lady of the Angels School Fire.


Posted by: LouAnn On: 10/13/2003 ID: 121
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 not born yet but my brother Charles Neubert died in that fire.
He was in room 210. I have 3 other brothers that escaped the fire.
They all were in the school when it happened, but they were on the
lower levels or near openings in the school so they could get out.They can talk about it but It still is never forgotten.
My mother very seldom talks about it and she is in her middle 70's..I guess it's very disturbing to
me because I just can't imagine knowing your life is ending and you can't do anything about it.


Posted by: Norine On: 10/9/2003 ID: 120
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chicago
Re: story 118 : I have good reason to believe that I have now learned the identity of my mother's cousin , who was lost in the OLA fire .I'd like to thank webmaster Eric for all the helpful advice . - Norine


Posted by: Sherry On: 10/6/2003 ID: 119
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Milwaukee
In December of 1958 I was a third-grader at a Catholic school in Milwaukee. I remember the nuns telling us that those children from the OLA fire were the "lucky ones" because now they were seeing Jesus. I saw the graphic photos of the fire in the Milwaukee Journal and they didn't look any too lucky to me.

I never thought about this fire again. Several months ago, I started having nightmares about a school fire, where I saw the building, the smoke, the panic, the burned-out classrooms. Finally, after I started seeing pictures of the children in my dream, I got up in the middle of the night and searched on the internet for the source of my nightmares. I didn't remember the name of the school, only that it was in Chicago, and the approximate timeframe. It didn't take me very long to find my way to this website.

I was fascinated to read the accounts of people like myself who were not personally touched but who, so many years later, find the fire invading their dreams. I am not a psychiatrist, but I think it must be that the pictures and the news of children of our own ages who died so horrifically must have placed an indelible stamp on our brains, that now so many years later can still bring forth the terror of an 8-year old facing death. (Either that, or we are trapped in a Stephen King novel....)

I applaud the efforts of the person(s) who put this site up, which cleared up a lot for me. I am heartbroken for the many who suffered the loss. I am amazed at the decades that I have lived through at the age of 53, that took us from the close-knit Italian communities of the 1950's, like the one I myself lived in, to the poverty-ridden, drug-infested neighborhoods with parents who will abandon two-year old children to fend for themselves. The threat of the kind of fire that struck OLA is largely in the past. The threats facing children today are ones those parents and communities of that age could never have dreamt of.


Posted by: Norine On: 10/5/2003 ID: 118
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chicago
Although I lived some 13 miles from OLA ; the sound of sirens on that cold December 1,1958 seemed to fill the entire city of Chicago as though they would never stop .I was 12 years old; living with my grandmother.
Earlier that year , we were roused from our beds by firefighters ; who formed a "human-chain" in our blinding, smoke filled apartment building.Unbeknownst to us , a fire had been burning out of control due to careless smoking right on our floor.We were passed so quickly from the moment we opened our door;as if by magic, down a long hallway and down the stairs- never seeing a thing until we were standing out on the lawn .A few adults were given, what was called,"mouth-to-mouth respiration" in those days. To this day I am amazed at the professional way in which we were saved by the calming voices of the firemen we never saw in that burning building;and whose strong hands passed us quickly to safety.
As though in a trance,I recall sitting on the floor in front of the television,watching the news reports of the OLA Fire that horrible day,December 1,1958 .
To see the children being carried lifeless, or injured , by firefighters with haunted faces- was almost impossible for me to comprehend .The following days turned in to weeks of the tragedy filling the pages of the Chicago newspapers.I poured over every word. Over and over. I wanted to understand why this happened and why the children were not saved as I was .I cried at each and every story.They were heartbreaking.Wherever i went it seemed as though someone was talking about the fire.Near the months end. I remember Christmas shopping; where a saleslady had begun to cry .She apologized, saying she had lost a child in the fire.I remember hearing a lot of rumors about entire classrooms that were"forced" to sit at their desks and pray ; rather than escape .Nothing about the OLA fire made any sense to me .It was senseless and sad .
It was some time after the fire,my mother told me that someone she knew lost a daughter my age at OLA. The girl was one of the last ones to be identified-by a pin , or a holy medal at her waist or on her belt.It was familiar to me only because I had read every word printed about the fire..I was never really sure how my mother knew this girl; but that was not unusual since I had been living with my grandmother for some time .
About a year or so ago,my son , a Roselle,IL firefighter , telephoned to tell of a book he just read "To Sleep With The Angels, The Story Of A Fire".
He said,"mom you have to read this book,you won't believe it".My son sees more than his share of tragedies on a daily basis ; but as a parent himself, he was shaken.He wanted to know if I had heard of the fire . I relayed the details and told him of the fact that my mother had known one of the victim's family .I was surprised that my son had not known of the tragedy; as I have retold it many times over the years.
I decided to call my mother and ask her to tell me more about this little girl who lost her life at OLA. It was then that I understood after all these years,the girl in the fire,who was my age,was the daughter of the sister of my grandpa Joe.She was called "little Anna"; but my mother did not know her full name.Little Anna was my mother's first cousin.The last time we had seen her family little Anna & I were together at our great-grandmother's funeral at Holy Name Cathedral.We were preschool age and I have no recollection of that day.I asked my mother to tell me what else she could recall . While she gave me various names; she could not recall Anna's mother's name or her married name.I felt the same need to find out more about Anna & her family as I had felt all those years ago , to learn everything about the fire .I reserved "To Sleep With The Angels" by David Cowan & John Kuenster" at my library. My husband picked it up and was instantly interested;so I had to buy my own copy .Much of the book I had remembered from news accounts; but there was still much more I did not know.I started and stopped the book several times as the accounts were so powerful & vivid it took one's breath away.After reading the book , I tried to find Michele McBride's book"The Fire That Will Not Die", but it was out of print.Thru an interlibrary loan,I was able to get a copy from California.When I read that book,I sent for microfilm from Chicago to go over the old Chicago Newspapers from Dec. 1958. For two days I would sit for hours, pouring over the old Chicago Daily News.I tried to obtain the "Chicago American" but it was no longer available.Since I've found this website,I have checked periodically for "clues"; but have not located little Anna's family or found out who she was .While I have managed to see most of the photos of the victims(but not all); and have gone over a list of all the names. In my mind I was pretty sure the girl would turn out to be someone mentioned on page 144 of "To Sleep With The Angels".I've come to realize little Anna could also be the sister of a victim-as nothing is certain at this point.I have come to realize that more than the last four girls,were not identified immediately .In reading some of the personal stories,since this site has expanded,, I have come across things that seem to be pieces of this puzzle - and my list of names is growing . I may never know any more than I know today; but will keep on searching.
It has been heartwarming to see pictures of the survivors , and know they are ok.
UPDATE : 8/05/05 I have made much progress in my search . Little did I know , 5 months ago when I was at Queen Of Heaven cemetery to visit a friend's grave , stopping to pay me respects to the OLA section , that the object of my search was right there . - All My Best, Norine


Posted by: Jim Hastings On: 10/4/2003 ID: 117
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Northbrook, IL
The day of the OLA fire is one of the defining points in my life. These details remain etched in my mind:

- DATE: December 1, 1958
- DAY OF WEEK: Monday
- TIME OF DAY: Mid-afternoon, right after school
- WEATHER: Clear, cold
- ROOM: The den (TV room)
- SONG: "The Drummer and the Cook"

My older sister was a fan of Harry Belafonte, and we had just been playing a copy of his 1956 album with this number on it. It was an RCA Victor LP, and I'm quite sure the song was the last track on Side 1. Regrettably, I still can't, to this day, think of the song without also thinking of the OLA tragedy.

I was in fifth grade at Meadowbrook School in Northbrook, about 20 miles north of Chicago. My younger sister had her friend Janet over to visit that day after school. Big Sis and her twin brother, who were juniors at Glenbrook High School -- later renamed Glenbrook North -- were not home yet. One cousin, newly widowed around this time, had just left that morning to return home with her two small children after spending a few days with our family.

The first hint of something wrong was that the regular after-school television shows weren't airing. As I remember, it was THE THREE STOOGES that we had planned to watch. I believe it ran at 3:30 p.m. on WGN-TV (Channel 9).

Janet's reaction to the breaking OLA story is one of my earliest memories of it. She turned to me and said, "The firemen went in and got the bodies."

I don't remember seeing any images of the disaster on TV that afternoon. All I remember is the audio -- a two-way conversation between the news anchor and a reporter on the telephone. During the audio, the "beep" tone would sound at 15-second intervals. It was on this newscast, I believe, that I heard something about a girl jumping from a second-floor window with her hair on fire.

One radio newscaster I vividly remember from this period is Alex Dreyer with NBC RADIO NEWS ON THE HOUR. As I remember, we could hear him at 5:00 p.m., Central Time. I can still hear the high-pitched bell tones and the drumbeat that would open the newscast.

Tuesday, December 2, the Chicago Tribune carried this front-page headline: SCHOOL FIRE KILLS 90.

Until I read your personal stories -- and I have read each one of them -- I didn't realize that your teachers and parents had told you not to talk about the fire. In our fifth-grade class, we talked long -- and quite animatedly -- about it on December 2. In fact, as we were hanging up our wraps before the morning session began, it was already the topic of conversation.

I'm not sure now whether our teacher, Dominic ("Tom") Del Vecchio, was with us on December 2, but I think he was. "Mr. Del," as we knew him, was one of the best teachers I had. He needed to be away at least once during this period, due to the final illness and death of his mother.

Mr. Del's substitute, Mrs. Kelly, was with us on Friday, December 5, which I recall as a gray, overcast day. During the morning session, she mentioned to us the upcoming funeral services "for the children who died in the fire" (her words).

I asked Mrs. Kelly something about fire deaths in general -- how victims die, etc. She replied: "Usually, it's from a lack of oxygen. In most cases, they're dead a long time before the fire gets to them."

The OLA disaster boosted my interest in fire prevention -- plus my interest in safety in general. Something else I didn't know about, until I found this site, was the absence of fire cutoff doors between the second-floor stairwell landing and the corridor. I feel quite sure that those individuals are correct who have said that no one would have died if such doors had been in place -- and kept closed.

As a child, I was highly impressionable, and I still am. The OLA fire was something I just couldn't get out of my mind. And I wasn't even there. Yet the horror I felt 20 miles away had to be pale, indeed, compared with the mental, emotional, and physical traumas you and your families went through.

My good mother and father died of natural causes in 1991 and 1993, respectively -- about a year and a half apart. Although I bounced back fast enough and recovered fully, that period was a major adjustment. Most of us expect to outlive our parents, and this may be one factor that helps prepare us for the hour of parting. But when a parent loses a child -- especially in a catastrophe, with no time to say goodbye -- it's just so out of the natural order. The grief has to be beyond description.

Some of the quotes I've found here and there on this site -- "God took only the good ones," "It was the will of God," "How could God permit such a tragedy to happen?" etc. -- raise a number of serious theological issues. Since there are other cyber-venues more appropriate for full-fledged theological discussions, I am going limit my remarks on such matters here -- particularly out of respect for the deceased and their families, friends, and classmates.

Just a few heartfelt observations, though: No -- I have to believe, from reading and studying God's Word, that this was NOT His will. If it had been His will, then weren't those who called the Fire Department -- not to mention the firemen who battled the blaze -- in fact, defying Him? If God is going to "take" someone, He doesn't need a catastrophe to help Him out. I'm thinking, for instance, of the way He took Enoch, who was certainly one of "the good ones" (Gen. 5:24) -- as well as the way He took Ananias and Sapphira, who were not so good (Acts. 5:1-10).

My earthly sorrows and sufferings -- and, indeed, I've had some -- have been quite different from yours. I know firsthand what a vale of tears this earthly life can sometimes be. Especially when we’re growing up, it can either drive us over the edge or drive us to seek God and draw nearer to Him. When it seems that I can't deal with anything more, I find that it helps to pause, count my blessings -- even the smallest ones -- give God thanks for them, and then remember to use them for His good purposes.

In closing, I never would have guessed, back in 1958, that I'd ever cross paths with you, the OLA survivors. Although I probably will not meet you in this life, being able to get together in the same cyber-room and hear from you this way, thanks to the Internet, is the next-best thing. Thank you so much for all that you have shared with us. From what I know of you, you seem to me to be brave men and women, indeed. May God continue to give you His strength for your ongoing work.


Posted by: DEBBIE On: 9/16/2003 ID: 116
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes Yes Yes 12 7 208 Sister Mary St. Canince
Every year of December i cry terribly to remember what happened to me i hopr that you all understand the terrible tragedy.