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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: Anzu Mazaki On: 4/25/2004 ID: 172
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
I am reasearching the oal fire for a school project. I am in the 7th grade. I have seen many sites and have looked at pictures of the devastation this fire had caused. Many peole died in this fire, and because of tecnology we can prevent many more lives now than we could have back then.


Posted by: Marty Oppenheim On: 4/12/2004 ID: 171
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Jamaica, New York
I was 9 years old and living in Jamaica, NY at the time of the fire but I vividly remember the news of the disaster as if it happened yesterday. Being Jewish, I attended public school but grew up across the street from a large Catholic church and school where so many of my friends went. Both my public school and the Catholic school were older buildings and were built in the early 1900s. My old school had the same kind of classrooms the OLA had. I remember frequent and thorough fire inspections and fire drills in my school following this tragedy. I also had nightmares from the Life Magazine article about OLA. I own and have read both "To Sleep With Angels" and "The Fire That Would Not Die". I can only imagine, what it must have been like to experience the fire firsthand. May everyone connected with OLA continue to heal and keep up this wonderful forum and website. God Bless all of you and your wonderful city!!!


Posted by: Dan Minutillo On: 3/28/2004 ID: 170
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes Yes No 8 3 Not sure Sister Mary Rayme---may be misspelled
At the time of the fire, I was eight years old. I will never forget that tragic day. I live in California now, so not many people that I meet have heard of OLA but each time I meet someone my age from the midwest, I ask if they heard about this fire. Every once in a while, I get a positive response and we chat a bit about it.
My younger sister and I were both at OLA that day. Fortunately, we both made it out alive, only to carry the memory of that horrid day. I lost two cousins and many close friends in the fire. Their parents have never recovered. My family rarely talks about the fire because of the pain that it brings.
As I recall, on this day, we were to purchase candy bars as a fund raiser for OLA. I brought a coin to school to buy my candy. As an 8 year old, this was a very important day. I really looked forward to buying my chocolate and eating it later in the day.
When the fire alarm rang, I thought it was just a fire drill, a practice for the real thing that would probably never happen. My teacher, Sister Mary Raymee (probably misspelled) heard the alarm and asked all of us to stand up and move toward the doorway in single file. She asked me to make sure that every student filed out of the room. She was a wonderful teacher and a very nice person so I was always glad to help her. She stood right with me, gathering a few things as the students filed out of the room. I was the last student out and she walked right behind me.
I remember turning out the light as I left the room. I also vividly remember flipping the coin that I held in my hand which was supposed to be used to buy my candy that day. I flipped it a few times thinking that this was only a drill and there was nothing to be worried about. Sister made sure that all of us stayed calm and walked out of the room as quickly as possible. She did a great job.
I remember going down some stairs and not seeing any fire but just some smoke. I still thought, for whatever reason, that this was just a fire drill. I thought this until I got outside the main door of the school. Fire trucks were quickly moving up and down the street. Fire hoses laid across the street, about four inches thick. Children were burned and leaning up against the wall of the school screaming for help. I didn't know what to do, so I started to run toward the annex building that my sister was in. I ran into her classroom, grabbed her and against the wishes of her teacher, I pulled her with me. Her teacher did not want to let her go with me but I told her that if she didn't my mom would go into the burning building looking for us. I knew that my mom would come to the school and try to find us if I didn't get to her first. The teacher was still reluctant to let her go, so I yanked my sister's arm hard and pulled her away. The whole area was in total choas. We started to run toward our home. We lived at 949 Montecello Avenue, near the school.
I still held my coin in my hand as we were running. I remember being on a sidewalk running toward home and passing my mother who was running the opposite direction on the sidewalk. We ran right past each other but my sister noticed her (I didn't even see her) and we ran back to her. She took us home. My dad arrived home very shortly after we got home. He looked freightened, which made me freightened.
My mom had cooked up some "mock chicken legs" for dinner that night. These were my favorite. As I remember they were pieces of cooked, breaded meat put onto a thick stick. As much as I enjoyed them, I could not eat. We were all very upset because of the fire and because we had just gotten a call that two of my cousins and a friend from our neighborhood who were also in the fire could not be found. Later, I remember my dad telling me that he went from hospital to hospital trying to find them. We found out late that evening that they had died. This was like a nightmare. I could not believe it. My sister and I were lucky. We made it out of the fire without injury. Many of our friends and memebers of our family were not so lucky. They did not make it.
I remember that we were put into another school for a long time. We had our classes in that school. The most vivid memory that I have of that school is that at noon time, they would serve us sandwiches. The only reason that I remember this is because the sandwiches were loaded with butter, spread right over the meat. I had never eaten a meat sandwich with butter on it. It didn't taste very good but everyone at this new school was very, very nice to us. I can't recall the name of the school but it was a great place. They seemed to really care about us. We moved to California the next year. My parents could not bear the constant reminders of the fire so we moved west to start a new life.
That's about all that I can remember. I'm sure that I blocked a lot of it out of my mind because it was so terrible. There are not many positive things that come out of a tragedy like this except to realize that you need to make the best of your life while you are here; try to help as many people as you can--just as people helped us cope with this tragedy.
Thanks for keeping up this web site. Dan Minutillo (Carmen Daniel Minutillo, born 1950, minu@flash.net)


Posted by: Michael Ramelli On: 3/26/2004 ID: 169
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes Yes No 10 6 2nd Floor Mrs. Coughlin
By chance I happened to locate this web page. I was a sixth grade student at the school on that horrible day.

As I remember we were the first class out of the building.

The events as I recollect were as follows:

Just prior to dismissal for the day, two classmates, who were the designated waste basket monitors, returned to our second floor classroom telling Mrs. Coughlin that "when they went to the boiler room to empty the waste baskets, the janitor encountered them yelling "get out, the building was on fire"".

Mrs. Coughlin immediately instructed us to leave the building in accordance with our fire drill practice, which was to exit down the stairwell in the building's south wing and continue to the street corner in front of the church. When we exited the classroom, the smoke was very intense which to this day leads me to believe that we were very lucky. The smoke must not have been present at the moment the two classmates returned to our classroom after their encounted with the janitor.

As we moved toward the stairwell, we were able to see through the windows accross the courtyard separating the north and south wings. The north wing was totally engulfed in fire. Ironically, as we moved down the stairs to the first floor south wing, the nun in the classroom immediately to the east of the stairwell we were exiting was still teaching as if nothing was wrong.

We proceeded as instructed and trained to the designated street corner, but no other classes were following us...we were the only ones out of the building. I remember to this day the horror on Mrs. Coughlin's face as she ran back into the building ostensibly to notify other faculty of the situation. Shorly there after, I remeber hearing the fire bells. I can only assume that Mrs. Coughlin actuated these devices.

We were standing there, and as instructed during fire drill, continued facing away from the school. I remeber another adult coming up to us and telling us to go home. As I was leaving, I turned to look back at the school, and all I remember is the smoke and people jumping from the second floor.

Surely, I was too young to realize the magnitude of the disaster, but I proceeded to the dry cleaning store my parents operated on the corener of Division St. and Lawndale, and informed my mother that "the school was on fire and they sent us home". She immediately ran out of the store, and I found out later ran to the school.

Eight of my cousins and my sister were also attending the school. Most were in smaller facilities away from the main building used for kindergarten and pre-school classes. I fould out later that many of the students were brought in out of the cold by people living near the school. Many of the students must of been in shock because some couldn't remember their phone numbers (mostly the younger ones)which made it very diffult and time consuming to reunite them with their parents. One of my cousins, who I belive was in first grade at the time, wasn't located until six or seven o'clock that evening.

The events of December 1, 1958 are in my memory like it was yesterday.

Over the years, these memories have been brought into focus for a number of reasons. Just living in the neighborhood and being the first graduating class from the new OLA School provided a daily reminder in the early years after the tragedy. When attending Weber High School, some of my classmates were siblings of students lost. I also belonged to a local Drum and Bugle Corps, the Royal Airs who, to this day, dedicate all it's performaces in rememberance of the tragedy and the three members of the group that perished in the fire. And finally, years later, I was hired as a salesman with ADT Security Systems, a company that specializes in electronic protection systems, particularly fire alarms. The first bit of ADT training materials handed to us was pictures of the OLA fire. I am still in this industry, and every time I think about fire protection systems I remember the OLA School Fire. If what I know now was implemented then, this never would have happened. But that was then, and now is now. I'll never forget.


Posted by: Wendy S. On: 3/22/2004 ID: 168
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Melrose Park, Ill.
I am so happy to see that there are still survivors of OLA that remain so close.
Dec. 1st, 1958 I was freshman at Proviso East High School. When I arrived home my mother was crying after hearing the news regarding the fire. It was truly a sad day for Chicago.
I followed the newspaper stories daily and cried when I read that one girl had been buried in her First Communion dress.
I grew up attending the same kind of Catholic School. Sacred Heart in Melrose Park, Il. We had the same old walls and wooden floors that would have ignited in only a few minutes. I used to hate having to go to the old school and felt safer in the new school.
In our old Church we had a nun embalmed by the front altar. I was terrified of her. I remember my Grandmother dragging me to the front of the Church. (the nun had died during the famous Palm Sunday Tornado that went down 15th Avenue.) It was in the late 1920's.
I pray for all of you who live with such horrible nightmares. Dec. 1st never passes that I don't say a Rosary for the memory of those who died and for joy for each of you survivors. I know that your parents are grateful for each of you.
God Bless you all,
Sincerely, Wendy S. (I now live in Atlanta, GA)


Posted by: scott On: 3/19/2004 ID: 167
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
i am now 35. for many years growing up in the suburb of Addison, i heard aboutthe fire in chicago school that killed so many children. What i didn't know was that one of ofthe survivers was my next door neighbor. I remembered each year on Dec 1, that Ch 7 news aired a breif story about the fire. My mother told me that our neighbor , Linda Myers was in that fire and was one of the older girls shown in the old footage at one of the hospitals. She had jumped out the window on the 2nd floor and broke parts of her body. This began my interest in the fire and what happened. but i was told that she didnt talk about the fire so i never asked. since then Linda and her family moved away and i never got the chance to ask her. I have read the books about the fire and i cannot how the Catholic Church handled this tragety and how the still to this day ignore it. I find that the Catholic Church shouldbe punished for still ignoring this great tragety. i have read the Angel book several times and i cry each time. i have read the notes posted here and i sit at the FSU library crying. I feel that the Catholic Church should havea dedication to those who lost thier lives and to those who survived. i am glad i am not catholic. i think they handled this poorly.
I am grateful to those who survived and are willing to tell thier story. I may have happened over 40 years ago but you can see that this event has touched and changed many lives even if we were not there. but the reflections i hope the survivers make help them in thier healing and that knowing people ,some 40 years later, still care and remember.
I am glad for this website and the survivers have a chance to speak thier mind after decades of silence.
The Catholic Church should be do everything than can now to help those who trusted them in 1958


Posted by: Paul J. Messina On: 3/17/2004 ID: 166
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before New York City
Several years ago, I had just completed class at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland when I was taken back in time. As I walked down the hall of the school, past the library, I came across a poster. I stood there, stopped cold in my tracks... And I remembered. I was back in my classroom at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic School on the lower east side of Manhattan, a school and neighborhood very much like OLA and its community. I was in an early grade on that December morning in 1958. All did not seem normal, for the night before my parents were upset about news of a serious school fire in place called Chicago. And that particular morning, sister came into the room... We were all shocked, for it was the very first time that we'd ever seen a nun crying. Of course, that morning was December 2, 1958. As my recollection of the past faded, I continued looking at the poster in the hall of the Academy, staring at the faces of many beautiful young children. Above the faces of the kids was the title, "CHICAGO MOURNS", and above that the title of a newspaper "CHICAGO AMERICAN", the date, December 5th, 1958... the day that they were buried. I once again came across a picture of that very same newspaper cover page in a recent copy of the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) Journal. That particular issue was covering school safety. Yes, I certainly remember the incident. Something about this particular tragedy, and the thought of children dying as the result of fire has stayed with me throughout my life. And it had prompted me to do something positive about it years ago. When I moved my family out of New York City to a town in upstate New York, I was prompted to join the volunteer fire service. After a period of time, I was appointed to the position of Fire Prevention Officer for the district. Hence, my training as a Fire Safety Instructor and consequent attendance at the Fire Academy in Maryland. For the past seven years, I have worked to educate our kids in our schools about the critical subject fire safety... in their own schools and at home. Utilizing what I had learned at the Academy, I worked very hard to prepare a talk that I give to each class in our elementary schools, and boyscout troops, parent groups, seniors centers, etc. People have asked why I take the time to do this, considering the many hours that I dedicate to my paid job in the New York City Subway System and my long commute. I say that I'm doing it, "for the kids". After a lenghty talk to a second grade class at our own Catholic elementary school, St. Mary's of Fishkill, a young approached me and asked why I was doing this. I looked at her beautiful smiling face and then envisioned those kids' photos on the Chicago newspaper. I answered once again, "I'm doing this for the kids". Yes, I am doing this for Your Kids, for I will always remember your lost brothers, sisters, cousins... the moms and dads who lost their children on that December afternoon; I am doing it for you. I am also doing this volunteer work for our kids today, so that they be educated against the ravages of fire. I recently received some great news. After two years of perseverance... applications, letters to politicians, visits with political reps, I was finally able to secure a Fire Safety Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). I am going to use the money to purchase a fire safety trailer for our kids. It is an educational tool that we can take to the schools to educate the kids, preparing them for the unthinkable! When the trailer is built and dedicated to the town in a ceremony, I hope to mention to those present just why I feel so dedicated to this cause... the protection of our children. In my own mind and heart, I will dedicate it to your loved ones. In my heart, I am hoping that my efforts somehow alleviate the pain that your families have endured. Remember that your kids have not been forgotten, not by the thousands of volunteer and career fire professionals that work each day to keep our kids safe. And please remember that good has come out of a tragedy such as this. This is reflected in the present Fire Safety Programs that are taught at the National Fire Academy and brought to our children throughout the nation. The fire at OLA has ultimately resulted in the safer school construction standards for the facilities that our kids attend today. God Bless.
Paul Messina
Fire Prevention Officer
Rombout Fire District
Fishkill, New York


Posted by: Thomas B. On: 3/14/2004 ID: 165
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Midland, Michigan
I attended Blessed Sacrament School in the 1960's, and 1 day 1 of the nuns referred to a school fire. I believe it was OLA, because she mentioned something about students being trapped and what their teacher might have been telling them when there was no escape. I also remember when waiting for a plane to leave O'Hare Airport, on 1 or 2 occassions, I would look out the window at the city lit up at night and think of the fire victims. After checking this sight, reading "To Sleep with the Angels" and old newspaper accounts, my heart goes out to the victims and survivors. I wish I could reach out and give everyone a Christian hug. If anyone has heard the song "Only Time", a tribute to the victims of 9/11, that song seems as appropiate to the OLA victims as well.


Posted by: Patti Sansonetti Leonardi On: 3/4/2004 ID: 164
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Oak Park, IL
My parents moved our family out of the city where I had been attending OLA and into Oak Park a scant two months before the fire broke out. I had two cousins who also attended OLA at the time of the fire, but they were not injured. A third cousin, Margaret (Peggy) Sansonetti perished in the fire. My father and one of my uncles spent the entire evening at the school and, eventually, the morgue, to try and find Peggy, and then ultimately to identify her body. I only recently found this site and it has brought back painful memories of innocence lost. People I've talked to who never attended OLA remember the stories and news coverage. It was my fate to have left the school two months before the fire, but the memories live on in me forever. patti_l_51@yahoo.com


Posted by: Anonymous On: 3/4/2004 ID: 163
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before New York
I was nine years old and in the fourth grade in a Catholic school similar to Our Lady of Angels at the time of the fire. I remember looking at the pictures in the paper and thinking that this could really happen to me. It was my first experience with the death of children. My mother,a devout Catholic, had us pray for all the poor little souls and their families. I remember going to school and from my second floor classroom window, looking down and wondering if I could jump if I had to. I was,and still am, terrified of fire. My mother finally hid the newspapers from me. I was obsessed. I never forgot the picture of the little shoe filled with ice. I never forgot the victims and their families and often wondered if anyone else was wondering about them. When I found this site I was stunned to find stories from those who felt the same way. Even more stunning was the possibility that the fire could have been started by a child my age! I'm ashamed to admit that I feel some relief by relaying my story considering the unimaginable suffering of those that experienced this tragedy. Thank you for allowing me to do this. I think that if I could have talked to someone when I was nine I would have felt better.