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 478 to 469 Stories 458 to 449

Posted by:

Ann

On:

2/16/2009

ID:

468

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	Washington, D.C.

I was a 7th grader in a Catholic parish school in Washington, D.C. The bathrooms were down a short stairwell from the main floor, and had no windows. I was terrified after December 1, 1958 that if a fire started in the bathrooms or basement, we would have no way to escape. The pictures in Life magazine didn't help.

Not talking about the fire was obviously the accepted way to deal with it, as I don't remember any grownups counseling any of us. I was utterly horrified by what happened, and had a strong sense that "there but for the grace of God go I." When Michele McBride's book was published I was obsessed with finding a copy. Then, when To Sleep With the Angels followed, I compared details between the two books. It isn't just a morbid curiosity or fascination with others' misery, though. In an odd way, I think many of us who were school kids that day, especially in Catholic schools, suffer from a kind of survivor's guilt when we think about what happened. Remember how we Catholic school kids had a kind of camaraderie against "those public school children"? I wonder if it might have caused us to feel more of a bond with the OLA boys and girls who suffered in so many ways on that day and forever after.

Even for those of us who were not there, it remains "the fire that will not die." I keep those who were there in my prayers.

Posted by:

Mako

On:

2/16/2009

ID:

467

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

I remember that I was 11 years old the year of the fire. My parents had a subscription to Life magazine and I read all about it. The children who died were either my age or a little older or younger. This is something I have never forgotten and recall it like it was yesterday. For a long time after wards,I had nightmares and had to be reassured that our house or school would not burn down. I was so scared. If it could happen to these innocent children, I felt it could also happen to me. To this day, I still feel the sadness of that day.

Posted by:

Bob

On:

2/8/2009

ID:

466

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	Queens, N.Y.

I was in the sixth grade in a Catholic school in Queens at the time of the tragedy, so I felt a connection to the kids at Our Lady of the Angels. I still remember seeing pictures of the children's coffins at a funeral service. It left me very badly shaken. I am 61 years old now, and I have never forgotten the horror of that day.

Posted by:

Linda

On:

2/6/2009

ID:

465

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	Lawler & Division

I lived 1 block away from St. Anne's Hospital and I went to school at Our Lady Help of Christians. I remember just sirens, and our phone ringing constantly because my aunts and other family members were worried that it was our school that was burning. I was 8 years old and my brother was 11. We walked to St. Annes to see the ambulances pulling into the ER entrance, we saw children with their bodies smoking. I will never forget that, I have lived in fear of fire ever since. The children from OLA came to our school after the fire. I never spoke to them, I was so afraid to talk to anyone. I guess I thought if we talk about it, it will happen again. I used to lay awake at night and just cry, I was afraid my apt building would burn down. Ironically my son is now a Chicago Firefighter. God works in very mysterious ways, may the little angels be at His right hand now and forever.

Posted by:

Judy Tortorice

On:

2/1/2009

ID:

464

Enrolled on 12/1/58?	Present on 12/1/58?	Injured?	Age	Grade	Classroom	Teacher
Yes	Yes	No	11	6t	203	Miss Rossi

I remember being sent to the back of the room to sit because I was talking. Being in the back of the room, I was one of the ones to smell smoke first. Immediately, Miss Rossi opened the door and led us out to the staircase. It was thick with smoke and we ran down the stairs to safety. We were led into the church to pray but I worried about my sister Rose who was in 8th grade. I left church thinking I would get in trouble but could'nt help it. As soon as I walked out, I saw my mom and dad in the street on Hamlin crossing Iowa. They had been shopping and my dad, upon seeing me, dropped his bags and ran over to me. I was sent home so I did not see any of the horrific tragedy first hand. My dad helped Fr. Ognibene pull the children out of the 8th grade class screaming for my sister Rose. He did, in fact save her, but was never the same. He lived out the rest of his life terribly depressed and died of cancer in 1986 at the age of 70. I will never forget his heroism and know that he knows now how many people are grateful for his effort.My sister Rose passed away in 1992,only 47 years old, from cancer.She left behind 2 beautiful daughters, a loving husband and a family who misses her so very much.

Posted by:

Roger

On:

1/30/2009

ID:

463

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

Cant believe its was 50 years ago on Dec 1 2008. I was a second grader at Emerson school in Detroit and remember my teacher Mrs. McDonald talking about the tragidy at a catholic school in chicago. My dad was a professional bowler with alot of ties with the city of Chicago. Maybe for this reason i can still remember this happening. I still remember the front page of the Detroit News, showing the line of white coffins at the national guard building, we cant imagine the grief those families must of felt.I will be 58 soon most of us today are in are late 50's and 60's now hard to believe. I still think of this.

Posted by:

Lynn Terry

On:

1/27/2009

ID:

462

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	Norwood Park section of Chicago

On December 1, 1958, I was a 19 year old student at Wright Junior College and lived with my parents in the NW corner of Chicago. After my classes I worked for a small electronics firm on Grand Avenue and on the afternoon of the fire I was given the task of delivering some components to the Motorola plant on Augusta Boulevard. I first learned about the unfolding tragedy on my car radio. Almost immediately thereafter, I saw the smoke and found myself only a few blocks away. Later I learned that an uncle of mine was a witness to the fire during the course of his work with the phone company. That night and for many that followed my family watched the news coverage of the fire and its aftermath and shared in the sorrow felt by all Chicagoans. I left Chicago the following year to attend the university of Colorado and went on to live the rest of my life in the west or abroad. Despite the distance and passing of time, I have often thought about that tragic day, the terrible loss of life and the suffering associated with it. Just recently someone told me about the book and after reading it and its sequel I found my way to this website. Among other things that I discovered is that a number of those that died in the Our Lady of the Angels school fire are interred at St. Adalbert's cemetery, which is located less than a mile from where I grew up.

Posted by:

PATRICK DALY

On:

1/24/2009

ID:

461

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 born a year after the fire and haved lived in the Chicago area my whole life. I deeply regret that until reading the 50th anniversary article in the Chicago Tribune, having a very limited knowledge of this tragedy. I have since spent numerous tine on this website and have read "To Sleep with the Angels" three times. It has had a tremendous emotional impact on me and constantly occupies my thoughts.

I can not adequately express my sorrow to the victims, families, friends,OLA staff,firefighters, doctors, nurses and all others who have lived with the horrific memories of this tragedy. I have found many of their stories to be very inspirational and heroic. May God bless all of you.

Posted by:

GERTIE

On:

1/21/2009

ID:

460

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

I HAVE ALWAYS FEARED FIRE. I WAS NEVER INVOLVED IN ANY INCIDENT BUT MY FEARS CONTINUE TO THIS DAY. I UNCONSCIOUSLY NOTE WHERE EXITS ARE IN A BUILDING,RESTAURANT, ETC. AND ALWAYS NEED TO SIT ON THE AISLE NEAR A MARKED EXIT DOOR;FIRE STORIES MAKE ME FEEL APPREHENSIVE & CLAUSOPHOBIC.THE REASON FOR THIS INTERNAL FEAR SINCE CHILDHOOD BECAME APPARENT TO ME WITHIN THE PAST MONTH WHEN A LOCAL PRIEST REMINDED THE CONGREGATION THAT DEC 1, 2008 WAS THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OUR LADY OF ANGELS SCHOOL FIRE IN CHICAGO AND TO PRAY FOR ALL INVOLVED ON THAT TRAGIC DAY.SUDDENLY,I RECALLED BEING 8 YRS OLD AND LOOKING AT THE PHOTOS OF THE BURNT SCHOOL IN LIFE(???)MAGAZINE, TRANSFIXING THOSE PICS AS THOUGH THEY WERE MY CATHOLIC SCHOOL(VERY SIMILAR IN STRUCTURE AND BUILDING LAYOUT)HERE IN PA. I HAD NIGHTMARES FOR WEEKS(MONTHS???)AND MY MOM&DAD TRIED TO REASSURE ME I WAS SAFE AT OUR SCHOOL; MY FEARS WERE SO OVERWHELMING FOR, NOT ONLY ME,BUT MY SISTERS AND BROTHER.THIS PRIEST'S WORDS LAST MONTH BROUGHT FORTH A DEEP-SEATED MEMORY I HAD BURIED 50YRS.AGO.ALTHOUGH I NOW UNDERSTAND MY FEAR OF FIRE,I REMAIN"HAUNTED" BY THIS SCHOOL FIRE. WE MUST ALL PRAY FOR EVERY ONE IN THIS TROUBLED WORLD.

Posted by:

Pat Shannon

On:

1/15/2009

ID:

459

At OLA on 12/1/58?	Born before or after 12/1/58?	Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No	Before	Chicago (Marquette Park ),Il

As a young child being in Catholic Schools in Chicago you heard about that fire. My Father Jack Shannon worked for Peoples Gas and on that Day he ran as fast as he could from One side of the loop with the Books that TURNED OFF THE GAS to that section of Chicago.
As sad and horrific he was proud that he swiftly got that Gas turned off .This prevented more loss of life and property.
Oh what a differant world people caring about others when doing thier jobs.

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