American Scene

Ms. Gallo said the closed-door meeting focused on what qualities the school’s next leader should have. The current principal is being fired.

Teachers union President Jane Sessums said she is hopeful the firings can be prevented.

UTAH

Hall of Famer Olsen dies

SALT LAKE CITY — Pro Football Hall of Famer and former television actor Merlin Olsen has died. He was 69.

Utah State, Mr. Olsen’s alma mater, said he died outside of Los Angeles early Thursday after battling cancer. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung lining, last year.

Mr. Olsen was an All-American at Utah State and a first-round draft pick of the Los Angles Rams in 1962.

The burley giant from northern Utah joined Deacon Jones, Lamar Lundy and Rosey Grier on the Rams’ storied “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line, known for either stopping or knocking backward whatever offenses it faced. The Rams set an NFL record for the fewest yards allowed during a 14-game season in 1968.

Mr. Olsen was Rookie of the Year for the Rams in 1962 and is still the Rams’ all-time leader in career tackles with 915. He was named to 14 consecutive Pro Bowls, a string that started his rookie year.

Mr. Olsen also was an established television actor with a role on “Little House on the Prairie,” then starring in his own series, “Father Murphy,” from 1981 to 1983 and the short-lived “Aaron’s Way” in 1988.

• From wire dispatches and staff reports