Personal experiences with Our Lady of the Angels School Fire on December 1, 1958

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Personal Experiences with Our Lady of the Angels School Fire

If you have a personal experience, recollection or opinion about the December 1, 1958 Our Lady of the Angels school fire, whether you were present at the fire or not, you can relate it here. Any story or information is welcome as long as it relates to Our Lady of the Angels school fire.

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Stories 450 to 441 Stories 430 to 421

Posted by:

NANCY LEWANDOWSKI MOLSKI

On:

12/3/2008

ID:

440

Enrolled on 12/1/58?	Present on 12/1/58?	Injured?	Age	Grade	Classroom	Teacher
Yes	Yes	No	8	3		MRS. WILKINS

I WAS 8 YEARS OLD, IN MRS. WILKINS' 3RD GRADE CLASS. MY BROTHER GREG WAS IN SISTER EUNICE'S 1ST GRADE CLASS. WHEN THE FIRE BELL RANG MRS. WILKINS WENT OUT IN THE HALL AND THEN SAW SMOKE IN THE AVERS AVE. STAIRWELL. SHE GOT US OUT OF THE CLASSROOM VERY FAST AND TOOK US ACROSS THE STREET. WE SOMEHOW GOT OVER TO HAMLIN AND IOWA. KIND HEARTED PEOPLE TOOK USE INTO THEIR APARTMENTS TO KEEP US WARM. IT WAS THERE THAT I SAW MY AUNT JENNY SALERNO OUTSIDE. I RAN OUT TO HER AND SHE BROUGHT ME TO MY MOTHER WHO WAS LOOKING FOR ME AND MY BROTHER GREG. WE FINALLY FOUND GREG IN A HOME ON AVERS AND AUGUSTA. MY MOTHER TOOK US HOME..AWAY FROM THE TRAGEDY. SHE WAS SO THANKFUL WE WERE BOTH UNHURT. MANY OF OUR NEIGHBORS LOST CHILDREN OR THEIR CHILDREN WERE BURNED. I STILL THINK ABOUT THEM. IT WAS A SAD, TERRIBLE DAY...WE WILL ALL BE FOREVER JOINED TOGETHER IN THIS MEMORY. GOD BLESS ALL.
NANCY LEWANDOWSKI MOLSKI
GOODYEAR, ARIZONA

Posted by:

Kenneth Sienkiewicz

On:

12/2/2008

ID:

439

Enrolled on 12/1/58?	Present on 12/1/58?	Injured?	Age	Grade	Classroom	Teacher
Yes	Yes	No	10	5	212	Sister Mary Claire Therese

I would like to talk to any room 212 survivers

Posted by:

Sandi (Cullen) Oswald

On:

12/2/2008

ID:

438

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

My grandmother's best friend was Francis Giacomino, and Fran's youngest son was Mickey (Michael) Giacomino. Mickey was in Room 208 the day of the fire. Mickey and I were pretty close, we were kind of like cousins. My grandparents raised me as their own child. Mickey's Dad's sister was married to my Uncle Art, and we were raised close. We went on vacations and stuff together, and I had the biggest crush on him for years and years. I was 10 at the time of the fire. I remember when I got home from school my gram had tv on and it was on about the school being on fire and I could see kids just standing at the windows and they couldn't get out. The screaming was horrible. I remember my gram started to cry and grabbed the phone to call Francis to see if Michey was all right, but the call couldn't go through because everyone was trying to call people in the area. We didn't know until late that night that Mickey was ok. But he would never talk about the fire. Three years later we went on vacation to Minnesota (Gram and me and Francis and Mickey) I tried to ask him about what happened but he refused to talk about it. Years later I came home from England in August of 1969 and went to Mickey and Linda's wedding. I have only seen him a handful of times since then. My gram died in June of 1989 and I only saw his brother George at her wake and funeral. We have lost touch over the years and it sure would be nice to see him again. I think he lives in Round Lake now but I'm not sure.

Posted by:

Susan Garstki McManus

On:

12/2/2008

ID:

437

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	Harlem and Foster area, Chicago NW Side

I was eight years old and in the third grade at St. Monica School at 5100 N. Montclare Ave. I remember watching the TV and reading the newspapers, and praying in school for the sisters and children who were killed.

Sometime after that, a boy came to our school who had been in the fire. He was a year older than I, so he had been in fourth grade at the time of the fire. His name was Leroy. I can't remember his last name. His head had apparently been severely burnt, and we wore a head covering covering the back of his head. It was somewhat like a bonnet and tied under his chin.

My dad's family was from St. Hyacinth's, and everyone seemed to know of someone who had been there.

Posted by:

Evelyn Bonilla

On:

12/2/2008

ID:

436

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	Newark, New Jersey

I remember the nuns at St. Lucy's Catholic School in Newark, NJ telling us that 90 school children died in a fire and that was why we had fire drills. We all vacated the upstairs of the building very quietly although I was very self-conscious of going down the fire escape since in those days girls wore jumpers and I thought all the boys were looking up at us. Years later, I became a teacher and for 25 years always reprimanded my students for their cavalier attitude during a drill. I would tell them one thing I take seriously is a fire drill and I would recount the story. One day looked up on the internet "school fires" but this did not come up and it only showed a few public school fires. This made me doubt my story. Today 12/2/08 I sadly viewed the 50th anniversary of that loss. It still brings tears.

Posted by:

Gerri

On:

12/2/2008

ID:

435

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

We lived in a three-flat near St. Hyacinth Parish. My parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, were all well familiar with the neighborhood and where OLA school and church stood. Although I was only three years old, I can recall flashes of memory from the TV and then hearing my parents talk about the fire.

Later as an adult, and a Registered Nurse, I had the priviledge of knowing and caring for Ms. Michelle McBride, one of the survivors, who also wrote a book entitled, "The Fire and Will Not Die". The stories she and her family shared will always have an impact on me.

I attended the 40th, 45th, and 50th anniversary masses and each time was extremely touched and overwhelmed with emotion. May God bless all the angels and those who risked their lives to help others that fateful day.

Posted by:

Kathleen Powers Goodridge

On:

12/2/2008

ID:

434

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	Chicago, IL / Little Flower Parish

On December 1, 1958, I was a nine year old in the fourth grade at Little Flower School on the South Side at the corner of 80th and Honore Streets. In many ways OLA School reminds me of Little Flower School. After the tragedy, new fire alarms were installed on every floor at a level that children could reach, and we were instructed in their use. Starting in January 1959 and continuing throughout my grammar school days, the Chicago Fire Department regularly supervised our fire drills several times a year. Some drills were announced in advance so we could be ready and wearing our coats, but most drills were unannounced. I remember one drill in particular. The fire alarm sounded, and the entire school evacuated the building to stand in quiet lines on the streets. After just ten minutes or so, we returned to our classrooms, sat at our desks, opened our books, and the fire alarm sounded again. Again, we evacuated the building. The CFD was timing us, and we had not evacuated quickly enough the first time. I, and my 1400 classmates at Little Flower School, were safer during the rest of our school days, thanks to the sacrifices of the OLA students and their families.

Posted by:

Father G. Gardner

On:

12/2/2008

ID:

433

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

I came across this web-site a few years ago while I was helping out at at a church on the south-side of Chicago. I wasn't even born when this horrific event took place nor do I know any of the victims or even anyone affected by the OLA fire but I have to say that when I saw the web-site the first time and read the accounts and stories of those involved, I was moved to tears. How can anyone look upon this tragedy and not be moved. I have not dared to post anything until now, for fear that it would seem out of place or incorrect as someone who just stumbled upon the site. I suppose though that this is one reason why this site was created...so that we learn of what happened on that fateful December day in 1958. So that we know of the sorrow and pain that the victims and their parents, friends and relatives went through and still go through. But more importantly that we can pray for and remember not only those who lost their lives but also those who suffered and still suffer from this event, so that we can do all in our power that nothing like this ever happens again and that those little angels and the the three heroic nuns who perished will never be forgotten. It being the 50th anniversary of the fire and as a token of my respect and sympathy for the victims both living and dead and all those who were affected in any way by this tragedy, I offered mass for your intentions and for the repose of the souls of those who died and my holy hour yesterday was offered for the same intentions. I hope the little that I have done will help...

Posted by:

Antonio S. Correa

On:

12/2/2008

ID:

432

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

Although I was not born at the time of this tragic incident, I attended St. Joseph Elementary School on 4800 S. Paulina. I don't think any of our teachers were at OLA in 1958 but they always told us stories of the tradegy. Mainly to keep us from goofing around during fire drills, which we had as often as we had mass. Everyone knew where the fire alarms were as well as the fire extinguishers. Remembering the stories and finding this web site makes it almost surreal. My prayers go out to all those who lost someone on this day. It was in hearing these stories that many students took fire drills very seriously at my school 1985-1989.

Posted by:

Rhonda (Smith) Kline

On:

12/2/2008

ID:

431

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	1052 N Lawndale Ave Chicago, IL

First let me say my prayers are with the familes that lost loved ones. There isn't much I remember except i was about 5 an dmust have been put down for a nap. Because when I woke up my mom was gone and a neighbor was with me and my brother. Through the years I saw articles that my mom had saved. I was wondering why she went down there and I see from the map on this site that a couple of kids lived near us which must be the reason she went. I was surprised to see that it had been 50 years. Reading about it now it was such a tragedy.

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