June 15, 1969 – December 27, 1997 on CBS

Gailard Sartain, the Tulsa, Oklahoma-born character actor
with nearly 75 TV and movie roles to his credit, died of
natural causes in his hometown of Tulsa on Thursday,
June 19.

Sartain was also a successful painter and illustrator. His
artistic credits range from record cover designs for such
artists as Leon Russell (Will O’ the Wisp) to illustrations
for nationally published magazines.

1999

 
CAMILLE BOHANNON

June 21, 1788: New Hampshire becomes the ninth and last
necessary state to ratify the Constitution of the United States,
thereby making the document the law of the land.

This date marked the end of government under the Articles
of Confederation and the beginning of the new government
established by the Constitution.

  
CAMILLE BOHANNON

More than 1,000 people taking a pleasure trip on New York City’s
East River were drowned or burned to death when a fire swept
through the riverboat-style steamer General Slocum. This was
one of the United States’ worst maritime disasters.

The General Slocum was built in 1890 and used mostly for taking
large groups on day outings. On June 15, the St. Mark’s German Lutheran Church assembled a group of 1,360 people, mostly
children and teachers, for their annual Sunday School picnic.

The picnic was to take place at Locust Point in the Bronx after
a cruise up the East River on the General Slocum.

At about 9 a.m., the dangerously overcrowded boat left its dock
in Manhattan with Captain William Van Schaik in charge. As the
boat passed 83rd Street, accounts indicate that a child spotted
a fire in a storeroom and reported it to the Captain. The onboard
fire hose, which had never been used, tested or inspected, did
not work.

In all, 630 bodies were recovered and another 401 were missing
and presumed dead.

The boat’s crew, and officers in the Knickerbocker Company,
owner and operator of the General Slocum, were charged with
criminal negligence.

Harris Yulin (November 5, 1937 – June 10, 2025)

Harris Yulin, the acclaimed character actor who
starred in films including Scarface and
Ghostbusters II, has died.

Over the course of his career, the California-
born actor played more than 100 roles on stage
and screen, including working extensively on
Broadway.
 

Yulin’s family and his manager, Sue Leibman,
announced that he died June 10 in New York
City of cardiac arrest. He was 88.

Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025)