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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: Sara K On: 1/20/2011 ID: 541
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before South Side of Chicago
I was 10 when the fire occurred at Our Lady of the Angels. I remember being so freightened and overwhelmed by the stories we heard on the news and the pictures of the children and their families. I heard that children were told to pray rather than run when the fire broke out and I couldn't wrap my head around that. I would imagine myself kneeling at that school while flames swept around me. I knew if I had been there I would have done what I was told, especially at that age. I've never forgotten the horror of that day and the weeks that followed. I am so thankful there is a website to go to that encourages us to relate how we felt that day. God bless all of those families. I hope they knew how many of us also carried that scene with us for the rest of our lives.


Posted by: Barbara Brdie RN On: 1/11/2011 ID: 540
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 a retired nurse historian and I'm researching the medical and nursing care that the burned children received in the Chicago hospitals. I'm attempting to write about the event for nurses.
I was a pediatric nurse teaching at Cook County Hospital at the time of the fire, and although I did not have contact with the injured children from the fire, I did know one of the student nurses who was part of the County Hospital staff that worked closely with the distraught parents as they struggled to identify their dead children at the morgue. I would like more information about the experience of the injured patients and the medical and nursing care of these children in the hospital. I have read some of the literature on the fire and the children's hospitalization and have began to interview nurses from St. Anne's Hospital where many of the children were taken.
I would welcome the opportunity to speak to some of the burned patients, their families and medical staff that worked with the injured patients


Posted by: Eric On: 1/1/2011 ID: 539
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Sawyer and North Avenue
I was a 4th grader at H.B. Stowe at St Louis and Wabansia in 1958. This was in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. I had come home for lunch on the day of the fire and the uneasy feeling that had been with me all day became more pronounced. Later, I understood it was a premonition. I begged off going back to school and stayed home. That afternoon, when the news about the fire came on the television. A feeling of great sorrow came over me. At school, the following day, the class discussed the fire. One girl said that the prior evening, she and her parents had taken a drive past the school and saw the coats of the kids who had not made it, which I thought was morbid. Since it was the Christmas season, we held daily practices for the holiday assembly. To this day, certain carols trigger memories of this tragedy.


Posted by: weareclouds On: 12/12/2010 ID: 538
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
I have always read about tragedies that happened before I was born. I would say I kinda even have a fascination with them. But, coming across this just really really saddens me. I'm 23 and not Catholic (though I am a Christian...Was raised Baptist) But, it really still strikes a cord with me. I have 5 nieces and nephews that are currently in school. And, I pray to God that they are in safe buildings. One of my nephews currently goes to the High School I attended a few years back. And, from what I can remember about it it was semi-safe. It's a two story and there's no outside fire escapes. But, the stairs are enclosed and there's sprinklers installed.

I was a bit depressed not too long ago about them tearing down my elementary school which I loved. But, come to think of it. It had alot of the same features OLA had which just screams 'fire trap' I would hate one of the neighborhood kids or any kid for that matter to have to go through something like this again. I also keep thinking about the fact that my mother was 7 when the OLA fire happened and what if my family was living in Chicago at that time and she went there. It really pulls at my heartstrings.

People today still need to educate school systems all over about how important fire safety is. So, something like this will never happen again.

xo,
weareclouds


Posted by: art gastreich On: 12/4/2010 ID: 537
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before st louis mo
I went to a Catholic School almost like OLA name) SS Peter& Paul school
St.Louis Mo.Brick outside,wooden staircase (OPEN) 3 story high.
Because of that fire my school was closed 1960.
I was about 10 when the fire happened,and I remember my Dad coming
home the next morning.He started to tell the story about the fire,and had to stop because he was crying.SEE MY DAD WAS A ST.LOUIS FIREMEN
of 43 yrs.GOD BLESS Those kids and nuns.


Posted by: Evelyn Hampton On: 12/2/2010 ID: 536
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chicago, West Side (Lawndale)
I was 11 years old when Our Lady of the Angels school burned. We lived a few miles away, near Ogden Avenue and Homan Streets. I remember how my family clustered around the TV and watched this horrible tragedy unfold. I think the news anchor had tears in his eyes as he read the details. I was a student at Howland Elementary School at 16th and Spaulding Avenues. The day after the fire, most of my classmates brought newspapers to school, and we read them in the school yard before class. The pictures of burned children were terrible.

Schools did not have crisis counselors back then, and we were forbidden to talk about the fire in class. Instead, our school officials came into the classrooms and "inspected" students desks. They yelled at students who had lots of paper in their desks and said the messy desks were firetraps that could kill everybody in the classroom. We had many fire drills. In fact, my class spent one entire afternoon marching up and down stairs. Since this was before schools had public address systems, our fire alarm was a series of coded "bells". Each classroom had a placard with the fire bell codes posted on the wall. For example, 3 bells followed by one bell, followed by 3 bells meant the 16th Street exit was blocked, 3-2-2 meant the auditorium exit was blocked, 3-2-3 meant the Spaulding avenue exit was blocked, etc. My heart goes out to all victims and survivors of Our Lady of the Angels, their families, the first responders, and medical professionals who took care of the victims. I pray a tragedy like this never happens again.


Posted by: Ginger On: 12/1/2010 ID: 535
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chicago suburb
I was 12 years old and remember watching the news reports that night. It was horrifying and obviously to this day, I still remember December 1st and think about and pray for all involved in that awful experience. I also have family buried at Queen of Heaven and have visited the Angels area and prayed for them. I'm now 64 years old and I can remember that awful day as clear as anything.


Posted by: Jayne1955 On: 11/29/2010 ID: 534
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chicago near St. Matthias
I was born in 1955, lived by Damen and Lawrence and my parents fought about sending me to a Catholic grammar school because of this fire. It scared my mother out of her wits.

I'm writing a book on fires that led to changes in fire codes. I'm including the Iroquois Theater, OLA, the Hartford Circus fire, the Coconut Grove Nightclub and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. If anyone wants to send me information about the neighborhood, how the fire changed it, or how they think the construction of the building aided the speed of the fire, and what changes were required after the fire, I can always use a new perspective. Anything about reunions or anniversary memorials would especially be of use. I've already read numerous newpaper reports, The Fire That Will Not Die and To Sleep With the Angels.

I'm especially interested in the way famous fires change the area and the lives of the people around it.
You can write to me at setem1955@lycos.com

Don't let the Egyptian god's name in the e-mail confuse you. I used to volunteer at the Field Museum in the Egyptian hall. I'm Catholic and graduated from Mundelein College in 1977.


Posted by: Mary Margaret On: 11/27/2010 ID: 533
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Columbus, Ohio
In 1961, when I was in second grade my family moved to the Chicago suburbs from Ohio. Later that year, my school had an assembly for Fire Prevention Week. During the assembly, we watched a film that showed the OLA fire. The only image I recall is that of firemen coming down ladders carrying dead children over their shoulders. I sobbed loudly during the film and became aware that I was the only student in the auditorium who was crying even though all students from kindergarden-grade 6 were present. When school was over that afternoon, a boy from my school ran ahead of me to my house and alerted my mother that I had been crying at the school assembly. When I got home from school, my mother was waiting at the door to comfort me. I think of my mother and then think of all the mothers whose children never arrived home that day in December of 1958. I think of the OLA fire often and pray for all the victims and their families. God bless them all.


Posted by: MonaAnn On: 11/19/2010 ID: 532
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Racine, Wisconsin
I was in second grade at Holy Name School in Racine when this happened. I remember the nuns telling us about what happened and having us pray for the victims and their families. Sr. Matthew was my teacher and stressed how important it was for us to move quickly and quietly whenever there was a fire drill. This is a childhood memory I will never forget and to this day when the fire alarm goes off at my grandchildren's school, I get tears in my eyes and say a prayer for the 92 children and 3 nuns that God took home to be part of His special guardian angels. May they watch over us all.