Local Historian to Speak in November About Cherry Mine Disaster, OLA School Fire
College of DuPage will present two lectures by local historian Jim Gibbons, who will discuss the 1909 Cherry Mine Disaster on Thursday, Nov. 10, and the Our Lady of the Angels School Fire on Wednesday, Nov. 30.
Both lectures, which are free and open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. in the Health and Science Center, Room 1234, located on the College's Glen Ellyn campus, 425 Fawell Blvd.
Of the estimated 481 men and boys who went into the mine on Nov. 13, 1909, in Cherry, Ill., 259 died after a fire ignited. It is the third most deadly mining disaster in U.S. history and led to the Illinois legislature pasting stronger regulations governing mines. The state also adopted the Liability Act, which became the Illinois Workmen's Compensation Act.
On Dec. 1, 1958, a fire broke out at Our Lady of the Angels School in Chicago, killing 92 students and three nuns. Multiple books and documentaries have been made about the tragedy, including the 2003 Emmy-winning documentary "Angels Too Soon" created by WTTW-Chicago.
Gibbons has presented a variety of programs in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin about historical events. His slogan is "Life is no mystery when you know your history," and he believes it's important to heed the warnings from the past.
"Both the 1909 Cherry mine disaster and the 1958 Our Lady of the Angels school fire are tragedies that happened right here in the Chicago area," he said. "These were neighbors and friends who suddenly had their lives changed forever due to carelessness and fire, causing a tremendous loss of life. Both did not have to happen had the proper safety measures been taken."
For more information about the programs, email yearman@cod.edu or call (630) 942-2765.
College of DuPage is an accredited community college that serves more than 27,000 students each term. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, College of DuPage will host a series of on- and off-campus events throughout the year to highlight the institution's history and service to students and District 502 residents over the past half-century.