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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: Royal Air On: 2/7/2003 ID: 49
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Momence, Illinois

I have been involved in Drum & Bugle Corps since 1964. My interest in the OLA fire stems from the fact that three of the students who parished in the fire were members of the Chicago Royal-Airs Drum & Bugle Corps. Over the years, the Corps never forgot Roger Alan Ramlow, Frances Guzaldo and Valerie Ann Thoma, the three members who lost their young lives in the fire. The Chicago Royal-Airs went on to win three National Championships but due to financial difficulties, the Corps disbanded in 1968. In 2002 the Royal-Airs reunited and performed several times over the summer of 2002 (average age - 55!). The first official act that the Royal-Airs performed was to gather at Queen of Heaven Cemetery on December 1, 2001 to pay tribute to our three fallen members.

FROM THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES DECEMBER 2, 2002

Corps salutes 3 who died in '58 school fire

December 2, 2002

BY MAUREEN O'DONNELL STAFF REPORTER

The lives of many Chicago kids didn't extend beyond their alleys and L cars until the founding of the Royal Airs Drum & Bugle Corps in Humboldt Park 44 years ago.

Sie Lurye started the corps, and Rich Tarsitano taught the children music. They began competing throughout the country, and for the first time, those city kids saw cornfields and farms.

On Sunday, the Royal Airs gathered at Queen of Heaven Cemetery to salute the corps members who never grew up. Color guard captain Frances Guzaldo, bugler Roger Ramlow and flag-bearer Valerie Thoma died in the heart-crushing fire at Our Lady of the Angels School on Dec. 1, 1958, which killed 92 children and three nuns and changed school fire regulations nationwide.

"I was standing out in the front of the school the day of the fire, waiting for Frances to come out,'' said Jackie Lurye Borelli, 58, whose father founded the corps. "Her and I were going Christmas shopping.''

But the inferno began.

"She came out and went back in to get her cousin,'' Borelli said, adding that Frances never made it out. "They found them both together.''

About a third of the kids in Serge Uccetta's seventh-grade classroom perished.

"The door started rattling like there was wind in the hallway,'' Uccetta recalled. "Our nun said to open the door, and smoke was pouring in.'' The door was slammed shut, but "within just seconds, people could see flames licking over the doors.''

"My personal hero would be the school janitor, Mr. Raymond,'' said Uccetta, now 56. James Raymond had placed a ladder up to the second-floor window of Uccetta's classroom. "I remember having to hang down from the windowsill to reach the ladder. There were kids behind me in pain, pushing to get out. It was awful. I got out and was not injured.

"For years, I got the adrenaline rush when I smelled smoke,'' he said. "I ended up being pallbearer for four or five kids that died.''

The corps survived the fire, even though many of its members attended or were former students of Our Lady of the Angels, which was in the 3800 block of West Iowa until it shut down in 1999. Tarsitano "held together the band and consoled them during a tough time and told them they were safe,'' said his granddaughter Christie Tarsitano, 25, of Elmhurst.

Their rehearsal hall was the Illinois National Guard Northwest Armory, where many of the fire victims had laid in state. In 1965--eight years after their founding--they won every major title in the country for a drum corps.

"We went from 25 kids who never touched a bugle to three-time national champions,'' Uccetta said.

Financial troubles broke up the Royal Airs in 1968, but members gathered last year to perform at Lurye's induction into the Drum Corps Hall of Fame in Madison, Wis. They reunited, 227 members in the United States and Canada. They're performing again, and "we've knocked the socks off people,'' said corps director Borelli.

The corps played "Taps'' Sunday at the shrine to Our Lady of the Angels at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, where many victims are buried, and repeated the tune at the grave of Tarsitano, their original music instructor.

Patricia Neri was only 1 when her sister Beverly Ann died in the fire.

"We haven't forgotten her,'' said Neri, who visited the cemetery with her sister Pam Pantaleo. "She was a part of our lives, and we bring our children here now.''

The corps' average age is now 55. Many are gray-haired. Some have waistlines that strain against their blue jackets. Yet their voices gained power at the cemetery as they spontaneously began to sing their old theme:

"On the field we march so proudly,

With our heads held high,

Royal Airs we are beside you;

And for you we vie.''


Posted by: Marianne On: 2/7/2003 ID: 48
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes No No 6 1 Mary Hall Sister Re Me
I was in first grade down the block on Hamlin in "Mary Hall" the buildings that were used for kindergarden & first grade. I remember

the nuns leading us out of the building and into the yard to the south of the school, they told us not to turn around but of course everyone looked up and saw huge clouds of smoke. I don't remember how I got home

but do remember sitting in front of the radio with my sister listening to what had happened. My Dad left work and went to help the parents look for their children. I remember being bussed to John Hay and Help of Christians. These memories are etched in my brain as if they were yesterday. Reading To Sleep with the Angels and watching these programs has answered many questions I grew up wondering about. I wish I knew WHY our parents would not talk about what had happened, to comfort us and help us understand.I am very thankful that things have changed through the years and now parents will talk to their children and comfort them. Maybe my generation has become more open with our children because of what we missed.

When I came to this web site today I found a message that my daughter

wrote. I thank God everyday for the wonderful relationship I have with my children. All parents should learn from the past and have an open

relationship with their children.

Through the years I have met several people who have had relatives who were students at OLA. I pary that the "Angels" are watching over all of us, and that the survivers have found peace.


Posted by: John Paolella On: 2/7/2003 ID: 47
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before 910 N. Avers Ave.
My name is John Paolella. I am a proud graduate of OLA, the class of 1956. My family lived directly accross from the school. Our home was used by the media on that horrible day in an attempt to organize and trasmit the news. My mother, Rose Paolella, was instrumental in assisting fire victims as they lay on our front lawn waiting for help. She covered them with blankets from our home and reassured them. She also took the kindergarteners into our basement to await their parents as they frantically searched for children. My sister Patricia, cousins JoAnn and John Pellettiere, and Kenneth Ferra were OLA students at the time of the fire. They all miraculously escaped. Our family was fortunate, unlike numerous others whose children died that day or sustained physical injuries that have lasted over time. The emotional trauma continues for all who were involved in the OLA experience. This event was a tragedy not only for those who attended the school and the parish, but also for our entire neighborhood. It forever changed our lives! My e-mail address is: DrJMP1@sbcglobal.net


Posted by: daughter of OLA member On: 2/7/2003 ID: 46
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
My mother was at OLA on December 1, 1958 although she was among the younger students in the building that was spared from the terrible fire. Growing up, she often told stories of kids she knew and how my grandfather was one of the neighborhood men who went to help that day. We always drove by Holy Innocence at Queen of Heaven to pay our respects. My grandmother also remembered that day often, always telling the same story of a boy who escaped the building but went back in to get his jacket. Each time she spoke of it, that memory seemed to pull at her heart. I've read "To sleep with the Angels" and saw the recent special on Channell 11. What strikes me most is the fact that the students were not allowed to talk about what happenned. I realize that things were different back then, but what pain they must have felt and still must feel today. I just hope and pray the survivors and families have found some sense of peace.


Posted by: Wayne Kellner On: 2/7/2003 ID: 45
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes Yes No 10 5 206 Ms. Tristano
My name is Wayne Kellner. My brother Jim and I attended OLA and were survivors of the fire. We lived with our parents at 629 N. Lawndale. A cousin of mine, Cheryl McLean, was also a student and escaped the fire. I was 10 years old and in fifth grade in 1958. I was a student in Room 206 and Ms. Tristano was the teacher. On the day of the fire, I was sent down to the basement along with another student from Room 206, a prime candidate for having started the fire, to empty garbage pails. I knew this student pretty well and had seen him light matches in apartment buildings prior to the date of the fire. In fact, after the fire, I presented an account of what I knew about this person to the people taking statements from the students. I'll never forget the student's name. Whether or not he was guilty, I'm not the one to judge him, but I do know that he did not return to the classroom when I did that day, that there was no fire in the basement of the school during the time I was in the basement of the school and that the fire was noticed shortly after this student returned to the classroom. In the OLA fire website, I read that this student was exonerated from wrongdoing by the courts. I lost many dear friends in the fire and I pray the judge did his job properly. If he didn't, his actions have probably already been judged by the highest authority.


Posted by: Paul S On: 2/7/2003 ID: 44
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Evergreen and California (Humboldt Park)
I was a 3rd grader at St Fidelis at the time of this fire. St Fidelis is a parish a couple miles east of OLA. While my recollections of that time are somewhat vague, I do recall the somber mood of my parents, and the sudden emphasis on fire drills. I also graduated from St John Berchmans (on Logan Blvd) in 1965.

Some years later I became very good friends (we still talk, though infrequently) with a man who lost his sister in the OLA tragedy. I want to tell him of this website, but am of two minds regarding this. After reading the stories left by others, the most poignant comment was "I wish I had never heard of this site".

I hardly want to dredge up past pain for a very good friend, but also feel that he may experience some catharsis by visiting this site. I do know that the ONLY conversation about OLA we ever had was quite short lived.

Any input on this matter would be appreciated. Please email me at PAVEL9991@msn.com

I found myself close to tears often, as I know very well the sense of community that existed in Chicago parishes at that time. I have many fond (and some not so fond) memories of going to Catholic grammar schools. For any community to experience a cataclysmic loss such as this is beyond comprehension to me. I can have empathy, but in no way can I imagine the terrible sense of loss and disruption of family life that must have occurred.

All my best to the families and survivors of the OLA fire, I will keep you in my prayers.

Paul


Posted by: jflynn On: 2/7/2003 ID: 43
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 in search of some kind of an understanding into how the OLA parish neighborhood could have deteriorated into what it has become.Perhaps some ex-residents of the neighborhood would be willing to explain what they experienced and remember. After reading the book years ago, more sorrow was encountered after driving down to the old neighborhood from my suburban home. The description of the community painted it back then as a wonderful area with hard-working blue collar people that enjoyed a common strenghth: the family. Thank you. nhlcbh1@aol.com


Posted by: John McTigue On: 2/6/2003 ID: 42
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Oak Park, Illinois
I was 9 years old the day of the fire... and I was in the 4th grade at Ascension, a Catholic School in Oak Park. I had stayed after school to learn Latin, because they were beginnng to train some of us as altar boys. One of the nuns came in and told us that there was a terrible fire at OLA. Most Oak Parkers were transplanted from the West Side , and as a result,we all had friends whose relatives lived in the city parishes.Everyone knew someone from OLA, HOC, St Lucy's, St. Angela's, Res, etc. (I had originally been from Resurrection at Laramie & Jackson, not too far from OLA .)

I went home, and heard the news reports on the radio about the fire, and like most people, I was very stunned. My grandmother and mother and dad were all West Siders, and you just knew they'd know someone involved.My mom had been educated by the BVM's, and knew some of the teachers.

Around 6:45 my father came home. He was a Chicago policeman, assigned to Fillmore, and his patrol area was around Central Park and Washington, only 5 or 6 blocks from the school. (Even though he was a Chicago cop, we lived in Oak Park, and he used his sister's Chicago address.) What I remember most was that as soon as he came through the door, you could smell the smoke on him, and he looked grimy. My mother asked him if he had been there, and he began to weep. I never saw him do that at any other time in my life. I recall him saying that Buddy McBride's daughter was horribly injured. (Buddy was Michelle's dad, and apparently a childhood friend of my dad's.)

He never said anything more about the fire, other than that it was terrible. (He was a typical Chicago cop.... drinking problem and hardass exterior..... which meant he was a boiling cauldron.)Based on the Cowan book, I think he may have been the policeman who was flagged down by one of the parents, a fellow who owned a tailor shop near Pulaski & Madison... the location and time elements match. So I'm pretty sure he was there about the same time as the fire trucks rolled up. I don't know, but I'm guessing he was there for the worst of it.

Monsignor McManus, the Superintendent of Schools, lived at Ascension, and I recall that for years afterward, he seemed a different man. When I would serve Mass for him, he didn't joke around with us, like the other priests,and I remember being told by our nuns not to ever ask him about the fire.

Looking at this website, and the class picture, I realize how similar our classroom building was to OLA... even the kids look the same. (Palomar Studios took ALL the class picture fr the Archdiocese... all from the same angle.)I think the notion 'that could have been me' sticks with all of us who went to Catholic schools on the West Side.

I think of those children and nuns often, and always make it a point to visit the Holy Innocents part of Queen of Heaven whenever I go there.

My heart goes out to all involved. To those who perished, to those who were injured, to the parents, and to those who saw it, and could only clean up the aftermath.God bless them all. What an incredible tragedy.


Posted by: Bob D. On: 2/6/2003 ID: 41
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Ferdinand & Ridgeway
I was 12 years old and attended Ryerson Elementary school, but I took catechism classes at OLA every Wednesday. After school that day, my friends and I walked to OLA to see what was going on. From where we were standing at the south side of the building, we could not see any fire or kids, so we thought it was something minor. We actually joked about not having to go to catechism class, then went home. Later, I heard what was happening on the radio. I knew a few of the kids who survived, but none of the ones who were killed. My most vivid memory was seeing the survivors around the neighborhood for years later who were burned and had scars, a constant reminder of the tragedy.


Posted by: Paul M On: 2/6/2003 ID: 40
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before 2211 E. 67th Street, Chicago 49, Illinois
I went to O'Keeffe School, in the South Shore neighborhood. Many of the students were Irish Catholic, and many were Jewish. The teachers were primarily Irish. I was in First Grade at the time, and I remember the stories of how the nuns told the kids to hold hands on the stairs (FALSE) and how only 3 nuns died with over 90 kids (MISLEADING). For the next few weeks, according to my Mom, I had nightmares about school fires, and kids caught in the fire.

The thought that a fire could happen in an old school caused fire drills almost weekly in CPS schools that year, I found out later. I just remember fire drills all the time, and going outside by the doors near the kindergarten room. O'Keeffe had the same old wooden stairwells, window frames and floors, covered with decades of "spar" varnish. Many of my friends went to St.Philip Neri on 72nd - they were told similar stories of horror, and memorial masses were said for all the victims. I read the excellent book by Mr. Cowan, and lent it to a friend, never to be seen again. I will watch and record the documentary tonight, and hit the library for the book this weekend. I also mention in my prayers the victims of the fire each year on the Sabbath closest to December 1.