Students Revisit 1958 School Fire Tragedy
A survivor of the 1958 Our Lady of Angels school fire spoke with the students today about this horrible event. Mike Gallo was in his elementary school class on the 2nd floor of the school when the fire broke out. His teacher told the students to gather around her and pray as they hoped to be rescued. Instead, Mike ran down steps that were already ablaze to escape the burning school. His classmates and the teacher were later found among the rubble still grouped together but overtaken by the fire and smoke.
Mr. Gallo grew up in the poor and working class Chicago community not far from Our Lady of Angels. The day of the fire he ran to the safety of his home and find his parents. They later went back to the scene to witness the continuing event and the sadness and confusion that followed as classmates were carried out while others were rushed in all forms of transportation to seek medical care.
Though Mike survived, he has relived that day and those that followed throughout his life. His memories of the fire and the many funerals remain vivid even these many years later. This harrowing story was both a lesson about the fragility of life and about how you can survive tragedy and go on to build a meaningful life.
Mr. Gallo shared his later young life as a street youth who got into more than his share of trouble up through his eventually getting back on track. His determination saw him rise up through the ranks in the Minolta Corporation until eventually becoming a Vice-President of U.S. operations. He credits his respect for all people, strong work ethic and determination with his ability to find success in life. The students were spellbound by his story and appreciated his courage in retelling such a traumatic event in his life. Mike has been a close friend of The Community school for several years and the students are looking forward to having him come back in the spring.