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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: Lyn On: 3/14/2013 ID: 617
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chicago Rogers Park
I remember that we were expecting a TV repairman ( really obsolete today) and he arrived late but explained that he was held up by a huge school fire. The next day when I arrived at my Rogers Park school for my third grade class we were told we needed to wait in the hall because there was an emergency teacher's meeting, which I soon learned was about the previous day's school fire. Though I know this didn't affect me personally, it has always stuck with me as a lesson that the world can be a dangerous place.


Posted by: MVED1951 On: 3/8/2013 ID: 616
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Northern Wisconsin, Small Town
I was in my first year of an old-style Catholic grade school in 1958. It was second grade, and I had transferred from a newer public school to a rather fearsome dark red building with only four classrooms. It was a Polish parish, and the name of the school was carved in Polish on a lintel above the main door, which was accessed by a steep flight of steps. The surrounding neighborhood felt very urban to me: Lots of housses with two-decker porches, a corner store, other churches nearby. When I heard a school in Chicago (where I had relatives) had burned, I was terrified that the same thing would happen at our school. My mother talked about it, so did our school's nuns, who had a motherhouse in Chicago. Although I don't recall reading or hearing much about OLA throughout my life, I remembered the stories I'd heard in 1958, especially the woman named Barb who worked at the nearby store. After I retired, I read a book in which the OLA fire was mentioned, and then found this site. Anyone who attended Catholic schools in the late 50s/early 60s is part of a vast family with a collective memory.


Posted by: illinoismichael On: 3/1/2013 ID: 615
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Decatur, Illinois
I attended St. James Catholic School in Decatur, Illinois in the 60s and 70s. One thing I remember vividly in the first grade in 1963 was the poster of the fireman carrying the dead boy. That poster hung on the supply closet door in my classroom, and it absolutely terrified me! I remember how frightened I was of the fire drill, hearing the alarm sound in my first grade mind I thought for a long time that there was a real fire somewhere in the school building! All these years, I never knew of the real story behind the poster until seeing quite by accident the story of the fire on Wikipedia and then this website.


Posted by: Edward Jones On: 2/26/2013 ID: 614
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 after this event in 1961. My experience is that I came upon this site in the course of fire information related research. My entire life has been spent building commercial and industrial infrastructure and after twenty years I have worked another decade as a commercial plans examiner in a population over one million. I am specifically tasked will the more challenging design reviews which includes schools of all types. I never really felt nervous about my job until now. It is clear to me these children did not have a chance for various reasons and this is not the first example I have reviewed or seen in training sessions. All of the details are important but I only want to say this. I posted two randomly chosen files on these children on my wall taped to my fire plans examiner certification. The purpose? To forever remind me to avoid complacency or distraction of duty. I hope the families are not offended but their faces compelled me due to my related duties. I do not bend, flex, compromise or negotiate the code minimums for fire life and safety designs in our great state of Oregon. I believe I am not alone in this belief in our industry. If I am not sure of anything I do, I will look at these two faces again then ask myself, is there anything else I may have missed. I can't undo this story but I can certainly help prevent new ones. To Mary Ellen, and Richard Bobrowicz, I promise to approve designs where heroes won’t be necessary.


Posted by: Tony On: 2/14/2013 ID: 613
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Detroit, Michigan
In December of 1958, I was a third grade student at a Catholic elementary school in Detroit. Our school, built in 1954, did not have modern fireproof construction ("Modern" meaning 2013), but it was brick, firebrick and steel construction, interior too. There were also "pull" type fire alarms all over the building, and fire extinguishers all over the place, at adult chest level. It did not have a sprinkler system, and the steel and brick stairwells did not have fireproof doors - perhaps the most critical fire safety concern. But it was fully up to code when built in the Detroit of 1954. After thoroughly reading this site, I do now remember the principal coming to every room to talk to us the next day about all those children who died in a Catholic school fire in Chicago, and having us pray for them. I had a lay teacher that year, but had our homeroom teacher been a nun, I am sure we would have been told about it much more, and more often (our lay teacher tried at all cost to avoid upsetting the children). By third grade, I was also an avid daily reader of the Detroit News, and I do also remember reading about the fire there, but "Chicago" was far away to an eight-year-old in Detroit, and with the other major events that happened in our own city that fall, such as the crash of a British jet bomber on the East Side of Detroit in late October, and the death of Francis Cardinal Mooney at the same time (a beloved Detroit icon), the OLA fire was quickly forgotten. I am actually grateful to this site for reminding me of a horrible tragedy that never should have happened in the first place. Eternal rest to those 92 innocent children and the three nuns. The most lasting and haunting memory I will carry away from this superbly well done site? The faces of those 95 kids (I was a career elementary teacher, so I feel the pain more than most would), and the conviction that a cruel, sadistic genius could not have designed a more perfect firetrap than OLA was on December 1, 1958.


Posted by: patricia.kemp@redcross.org On: 1/16/2013 ID: 612
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
I work for the American Red Cross and we're writing a timeline of events of the great work done by the volunteers here in the Chicago region. I am told the Red Cross responded to the OLA fire, but I can't seem to find any documentation about it. If any one has any information I would be grateful. Thank you.


Posted by: Leslie On: 12/24/2012 ID: 611
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before California
This morning my husband and I were having coffee while listening to Christmas caroles being played when The Little Drummer Boy came on, and I mentioned to him that song always reminds me of the Catholic school fire as it was played over and over again the Christmas of the fire. He did not recall the fire so I found it on the internet and showed him.

I was 10 years old at the time of the fire and I remember the profound impact the tragedy had on my young mind! It was as though I was there, I personally knew the children who were injured as well as those who perished in the fire, and my heart ached for each of them, and tears flowed as I saw the articles and television news coverage. Being the same age as many of the victims made a strong emotional connection for me. Over the years each time I hear that song my thoughts are drawn back to that unbelieveably sad loss of young lives and the lasting devastation to the families of those sweet children!

During this holiday season may we all remember the children and nuns who lost their lives, and reach out to embrace all our loved ones everyday telling them how much they are loved! May the memories of those who passed offer a continued appreciation for life and the treasured ones we cherish with all our heart!!


Posted by: KMartin On: 12/21/2012 ID: 610
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before On Flournoy Street
The Sandy Hook tragedy so close to Christmas brought back memories of losing a friend. It is amazing how memories coming flooding back! I wanted to know more about how many children died in 1958. I am encouraged that as a society we are called into action at this recent horrific event. I'm glad to see there will be a production of "When Angels Wept" at the New Lincln Theatre. I know my friend is among the angels.


Posted by: Marilyn On: 12/20/2012 ID: 609
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chicago
The Connecticut tragedy did not immediately invoke memories of the Lady of the Angels scholar fire for me--but there was something in my heart and mind that just wouldn't let me rest until I figured out what was bothering me. Then it came...a newsman mentioned long-ago tragic events in our lives and how they can re-surface. It's been 54 years, I was 11--and I remember how our teacher had us sit on the floor in a close circle and explained to us what happened. I remember the crying...I remember the newspaper articles, as well as my mom talking to me about it. All these tragic events play an important part in our lives--reliving the memories that touches our hearts for the remainder of our lives...and provokes us to act in a manner of reverence and prayerful manner.


Posted by: Cammi On: 12/19/2012 ID: 608
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chicago
Our Lady of Angels was not far from where I lived. I went to Presentation Catholic School. I was 18 at the time, a passenger on the Pulaski bus heading South bound. A lady started to scream that she wanted off, I watched her run North bound and someone on the bus said the school was on fire. Since last Friday happenings in Newtown I can not stop thinking of OLA's fire and that day. The sadness that hung in the air. The grey clouds that seemed to cover Chicago for months following. In those days no one talked about it, I don't know why.
Every time I go to Queen of Heaven Cemetery I visit the gravesite where so many of the children are buried. What always bothered me is that when I was in 5th grade at Presentation (1951) we too had a fire. The same thing as OLA but no deaths. A boy started the fire in the basement near the stairwell. As the nuns always kept the classroom door close we were unaware of it. It was not until we heard the fire engines sirens that we knew there was a fire nearby. The nun locked the door and told us to sit down and pray. Smoke stated coming under the door, There was chaos in the room, a few girls started to climb on the windowsills. Lucky for us a fireman came just then. The hallway was black with smoke, he informed everyone to lie down and crawl to the front stairway, just keep crawling till we were outside then run. The school had quite a bit of damage and we didn't return until next year. When I seen layouts of OLA classrooms it was very similar to Pres. Why didn't someone learn from our fire and perhaps it could of been prevented. Then again maybe because we all got out, they thought all schools would.