Nov 30, 2008 6:53 pm US/Central
Survivors Reflect on Lady of Angels School Fire
50 Years Later, It's Still Tough to Talk About Our Lady of Angels Fire
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
It's a tragedy that 50 years later, it is still tough to talk about for those who were there.
A fire at Our Lady of the Angels School claimed nearly 100 lives. This weekend, several memorials were held to make the anniversary. CBS 2's Vince Gerasole talked to survivors gathered at a West Side church.
It could be a scene from your Sunday, gathering with old friends at church. But what bonds those at this memorial is a deadly schoolhouse fire that remains one of the city's darkest hours.
"There's a connection between us that is very strong," said Mary Ellen Reeves of Carol Stream. "We went through something that lasted our whole lives -- it didn't end on December 1, 1958."
Our Lady of the Angels Elementary School was full of the hope of the post-war era, when fire swept through its classrooms, claiming the lives of 92 students and three nuns.
"I was taking an English test and I was doing very well and the fire alarm went off and sister said it's a mistake we don't have fire drills in December," Reeves said.
As thick smoke consumed the school, a neighborhood rushed to its rescue. The adults trapped inside did their best to comfort the children. A quick thinking nun, sister Mary Davidus made a sudden decision that ultimately saved the lives of dozens of children in her classroom.
"Sister Davidus asked us to throw books towards the door to block smoke from getting in and told us to go to the windows to call for help," said Addison resident Annette Szafran.
For the children who survived, getting on with their young lives represented its own challenges.
"There was no childhood after the fire," Reeves said.
"I would stand at the window of my bedroom and wonder why I wasn't taken with my school classmates, why I was left behind," Szafran said.
Most say it would take years to get over, but from such a tragic childhood event, many talk of a deep sense of faith and service to others they trace directly to that unfortunate day 50 years ago.
"My desire to help people in other ways was getting stronger and stronger," Szafran said.
"It's still with us, it will remain with us, it's who we are and how we define ourselves," Reeves said. "It's hard to see them, but it's also comforting to see them too."
For those living in Chicago all these years later, their story has become our story, teaching us lessons of faith, perseverance, and the resiliency of the human spirit -- at Holy Family Church.
A cause of the fire was never officially determined. However, a positive result of the tragedy remains the stricter fire safety codes that were passed at schools nationwide.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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