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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: Dennis O On: 11/24/2002 ID: 15
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Milton, Massachusetts
I have the deepest sympathy and empathy for both the victims and survivors of this terrible tragedy. I was in the first grade of a Catholic school in Massachusetts when our nuns showed us the newspaper headlines about the fire in Chicago. The nuns blamed the children for panicking, not knowing the full details. This disaster gave me nightmares as a child because I thought my school was equally dangerous. Only years later, after studying the history of this fire and reading "To Sleep with the Angels," did I fully understand that my newer school had all of the fire safety standards which were missing at Our Lady of the Angels. I visited the rebuilt school last year and I corresponded with the authors of "To Sleep With the Angels," congratulating them on their superb book. I think the Archdiocese of Chicago deserves most of the blame for the suffering which transpired on December 1, 1958, and during the years that followed. Even if a young boy with pyromaniac tendencies may have provided the ignition to this fire, a safe building would have allowed adequate time for the students inside to escape safely. The Chicago fire department did all it possibly could under the circumstances. My thoughts and prayers go out to the survivors and their families, and to all those whose lives were blemished. If anyone wishes to contact me, my e-mail is DennisJOBrien@yahoo.com.


Posted by: Bill V. On: 11/19/2002 ID: 14
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Somerville Massachusetts
I remember the day like it was yesterday when Sister Maureen Joseph, my first grade teacher, was telling us about the fire at Our Lady of the Angels. I was attending a Catholic School in Somerville Massachusetts. The news really affected me. I remember feeling totally helpless. I still have that feeling today when I think of the fire. I had nightmares for weeks after the fire and to this day I still think of the tragedy often. Whenever I hear fire engines off in the distance or when there is a chill in the fall air I am reminded of the fire.


Posted by: Anonymous On: 11/14/2002 ID: 13
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
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Posted by: Johnnie Ann Tasmer (Fuller) squeakysma@aol.com On: 11/12/2002 ID: 12
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes Yes No 11 6 Room 205 ?
I remember sitting in class and someone had opened the door and yelled something. The nun had gone to the door to see what was going on and before I knew it, we were all pushing, tripping and hanging on to the one in front of us and flying down the stairs - two and three steps at a time. We were all sent to the church, but allowed to leave shortly after....I didn't know what to do, so I stood on Iowa St. and watched and waited...for what, I don't know. It became so congested with people, noise and calamity, so I just left. I didn't know till the following day about how the other side of the building had burned so bad, and it was then I found out how many kids did not make it. I had had a crush on the boy down the street from me and I found out he didn't make it either. His name was John Jajkowski.

At the time my Mom and I were living with my grandmother and we didn't have the money to buy a new coat for me....no matter how much that coat was cleaned, the smell never came out and I had to use that coat for however long...and I can still smell it. My Dad had passed away the year before and this made things more sad than I could ever have imagined. I remember having a slight red mark on my forehead - a heat burn - which of course was nothing compared to others. When I go to Queen of Heaven cemetery, I always visit the 'kids'.


Posted by: parbuth442@aol.com On: 11/10/2002 ID: 11
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chicago, IL
I was a sophmore in the Academy of Our Lady Catholic Girls High School at the time of the fire at Our Lady of The Angels School. To this day, I remember the shock and horror felt by me personally and most of those who saw the story on TV or read it in the newspapers. Although only 15 at the time, I can still remember the feeling I got when I saw the pictures in the paper, and so many little girls in First Communion veils. It brought tears to my eyes-it was horrible. I was also in a school that was built before the turn of the century, and probably as much of a fire trap as was Our Lady of the Angels, but that was the way things were then. A fire of this magnitude was the last thing in the world anyone expected, and this was not only true of the Catholic schools but also of most of the public schools at that time, and most of the schools, both Catholic and public were older buildings.

And unfortunately, they didn't know about the lasting affects of this kind of trauma, on children or anyone else. It's understandable that many of the survivors of this tragedy have lasting bitterness and anger-yet according to the book, several of the surviving children, some seriously injured, in the fire somehow overcame alot of the negative feelings and have gone on to lead highly productive lives. I wish all of you the best and if anyone still has lingering feeling of anger and bitterness, hopefully that person will find a way to let it go. And, as I noticed as I went through the list of fatal fires, this is the only Catholic school that had a fire, while there are several public schools listed, a few that have an even greater death toll than Our Lady of the Angels.


Posted by: Nick Adamson On: 11/8/2002 ID: 10
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
I first heard about this tragedy a few years ago from a person that I work with. He lost a cousin in the OLA School Fire. Neither of us were aware that this website existed. I found it just 3 days ago. The site has been searched by my eyes from top to bottom and side to side. My eyes filled with tears several times while looking at the pictures. This site will haunt me forever. The image of little John being carried out by the firefighter is burned into my mind. This is a story that needs to be told. A movie would be a great way to let these "little angels" know that they have not been forgotten. I know I will not forget them.

Nick Adamson

Madison, Wisconsin


Posted by: Nancy O On: 11/7/2002 ID: 9
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Quincy, IL
My mom was raised in a Chicago suburb but moved to Central Illinois when she married my dad. We received the Chicago Tribune newspaper by mail every day to help her keep in touch. I was in the fourth grade but I read the Trib every day, at least the comics and the back page that was all photos.

I also attended a Catholic school. I remember to this day the photos on the back page of the Tribune, especially First Communion headshots of girls who had died. My own photo looked just like those. This is probably the first news event that I remember. It made such an incredible impression on me - these were children just like me and their nuns were from the same religious order as my teacher - and they died.

I don't remember any fire drills in my school before the OLA fire but I sure remember them afterwards. I don't know whether they occurred before and I didn't notice or whether they were increased after OLA.

Two years after the fire we moved to a different city and were enrolled in a Catholic school there. The thing I remember most about this school? Every classroom was on the first floor and had its own door to the outside so no children would ever need to evacuate through a smoky hallway.

My prayers for the students, faculty, family and parish of OLA continue.


Posted by: podesta On: 11/6/2002 ID: 8
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
In 1977, I met someone (born in 1960) who was told of three cousins (I don't know their names) who died in the OLA fire in '58. I was shocked by the connection to the sisters' stories in my grade school here in California about the importance of being MILITARY during fire drills because of "things that had happened in other schools only a few years ago." I'm a high school teacher now in Orange County, CA who feels that we are horribly negligent of fire regulations in our schools, both public and private.

Just this morning, after visiting OLA's website, I told my street-wise high school seniors of your story. You could have heard a pin drop in my room. Some "out-loud" thinking that I shared with them, I will now share with you.

OLA's shocking statistic page states that the fire burned for almost half an hour before anyone was aware that their building was on fire. Above and beyond the crime that there were not fire alarm pull-stations in that building, didn't anyone question why there was a stronger-than-usual smoke smell coming down the hallway? The reason I ask this is that I've taught my students to question the "everything's just fine" crap that adults falsely assure kids with. Were you (as all of us were until the reforms of Vatican II) assured that if anything were wrong, someone would let all of you know?

Another question I have is why no one covered their face and moved down the hall to the two stairways that were at the other end of the building. Did Sister shut down her thinking at the sight of the smoke/flames and the class blindly obey??? I ask this because I remember a day when EVERYONE blindly obeyed someone else; I remember a day when we thought we could avoid a nuclear attack buy doing a "duck and cover" under a wooden desk! These thoughts make me feel your anger and lack of resolution about a bunch of "what-ifs."

Did no one in the "new building" that had a couple fire alarm pull switches even think to pull one of those things? I ask this because I pulled one of ours two years ago at the smell of a SUFFOCATING gas smell to which no one responded! Even after the alarm sounded, people stood around wondering if it was a false alarm, etc. (The gas smell made EVERYONE'S eyes water.)

Your work is not finished; airport security is not the only place we are lacking attention. We still lack attention in the most common places. We are a society that fails to take things seriously. John Jajkosky (did I spell that correctly?) and so many others of you must continue to change priorities even today! You have made me take things seriously to protect my students. Thank you for your stories. Please continue to make that fire mean something by making the USA aware that, despite all our technology, we must be prepared and we must speak out against authority when something isn't (or doesn't seem) right. I firmly believe that if children had been taught to do that, there may have far fewer (or even no) fatalities in that fire in '58.

Please let me know if I am completely off-base or if I got some observations right. I continue to be moved by your stories and am still trying to understand WHY this whole thing happened.

Lou Podesta

Orange, California (also an obedient Catholic school graduate)


Posted by: Harold Miller On: 11/4/2002 ID: 7
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
My connection with the fire at Our Lady of the Angels is one that had been in the back of my mind for years. In 1977 when I had started the seventh grade the catholic grammar school I had attended was in the process of upgrading the building. What had happened we had a fire drill and the door to our classroom had locked ( it had the old type dead blot lock which if you had pushed up the button the bolt would be held in place)the lock had gotten stuck and we had panicked and after the drill our teacher of course started to lecture us about the dangers of schools fires but the one thing that had stuck in my mind is he had told us to go ask one of the Sisters who was at a school fire in Chicago and there was nothing that she could do except hear the childeren scream.To this day I still can not remember the Sister's name Then it was not until in 1997 when I had wathched the History Channel's program Wrath of God: Hellfire and then I had finally found out the fire what my teacher was talking about then I had gotten the book : To Sleep With the Angels and I had purchased recently Great Chicago Fires to further my interest. In conclusion I just want to say that I agree with Michael Guzaldo that it is time that this should be told on the big screen so that the world does not forget and I have never been in a fire but to imangine what those of you went through words can not describe that or it aftermath. I just hope and pray that this is one part of history does not repeat itself.


Posted by: Emily (Ruszczyk) Winterhalter On: 10/29/2002 ID: 6
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes Yes Yes 12 7 208 Sister Mary St. Canice
It was almost time to go home. Sister Mary St. Canice was in the midst of giving us a lot of homework in preparation for a big test. Then, a curious thing began to happen -- the doors began to rattle. Some of us joked about ghosts. But, then I smelled smoke -- then streams of black smoke began to snake through the spaces around the front door of the classroom, and then, so suddenly it seemed, to snake through the back door of the classroom. Two doors faced into the corridor. Sister pleaded for us to stay calm, that perhaps the furnace had backed up. (I remember so well that comment of hers.) One of the boys jumped up and tried to open the back door into the corridor, but the black and furious smoke was too heavy. He slammed the door shut, trying to choke in some air. He ran to the window.

At this point, we realized that something dreadful was happening, but we did not know what to do -- where to go. I recall thinking that I had just been in church the other day, I had received communion, and I was ready to meet God.

Then we saw the flames licking over the tops of the doors and towards the ceiling -- then flames under the doors -- and the dense black choking smoke. Sister yelled to get to the windows.

We were on the top floor. There were, I think, windows along the outside wall of our room. I remember seeing my friend Irene trying to climb onto the radiator to reach the window, but the radiator was so hot that it began to burn through her tights. Her legs were in flames. She could not step back into the room, so she flung herself out the window. (She did ultimately survive, but not without serious injuries).

Other kids and I struggled to get to the windows. I felt almost crushed by the weight of some other kids piled up on top of me. But, as the flames and heat increased, most of them ran to the back windows. I thought I was going to die; but, like I said, I felt ready. That's when Sister Mary St. Canice came up behind me and told me to sit on the window ledge. She helped me struggle out onto the ledge, and as I finally got my legs outside, she gave me a solid push and out into the air I flew. I landed on an overhang covering over the stairs which led into the basement of the building before I bounced on the ground. I could not breath, but I was miraculously alive. Some men, perhaps people from the neighborhood, picked me up and carried me into the candy store which was next door to the school. You see, at this point, the firemen had not yet arrived. I don't remember much after that, just that I lay on the floor until finally being removed by ambulance to the hospital. But, I do vividly remember that as I was being taken away, snow began to fall ... as if God's and the angels' icy tears were being shed.

However fortunate, I was not seriously injured and received only minor burns. My hair had burned away a few inches and I received serious contusions. But, no bones were broken. The only thing that broke was my heart. I learned later that Sister never made it, along with twelve of my classmates. My very good friend Christine Vitacco never made it. But, I always knew she would earn her angel wings. If not for Sister Mary St. Canice, I would not have survived that fire. I pray to her sometimes -- I know she is in heaven as are all the other little angels that were made that day.

* * *

For some odd reason, the memory of that day has been haunting me this past week and I searched web sites until I found this one today. I feel I need to tell my story. I need to cry with other survivors. I need to share these feelings which have been stuffed for so many years.

If there are survivors out there who would like to connect, my website at home is wints1911@aol.com.

To Mike Guzaldo, please write me. I understand.