Assemblyman Ed Flood (R,C-Port Jefferson) presented an official Assembly Proclamation as part of his 2024 Women of Distinction to a resident of the district he believes is worthy of recognition. His event included presenting an official Assembly Proclamation to Erika Glus, a retired teacher and World War II survivor.

Glus is a retired teacher who lives in Stony Brook and was born on January 4, 1940, in Lithuania as a German citizen. She, her five siblings and her mom left Lithuania during the war in 1943 shortly after the killing of their father by the Soviets. They packed up a cow for milk and the few possessions they could carry and fled across Poland for a whole year before arriving in post-war Germany. Glus and her family traveled on foot after they were forced to give up their wagons and horses and took trains when they could and stayed in any locations they could find. Her mother baked bread with limited ingredients to feed the family and for the people they encountered along the way. It became a symbol of hope and security for them. They arrived in Germany at the end of the war, just after Berlin had been bombed.

Once they arrived in Germany, the Salvation Army and Red Cross helped provide Glus’s family with housing and clothing. They later immigrated to the U.S. after an aunt in Cincinnati convinced Glus’s mother to start a new way of life. Glus signed a contract to begin teaching in Cincinnati, but before she started school, she vacationed on Long Island where she met her husband whom she married the following year. Glus taught at BOCES for 32 years and was married to her husband for 56 years, together, they had two children and five grandchildren. Glus has run 13 marathons, including the Boston Marathon, and beat breast cancer twice.

“It was truly an honor to meet Erika and hear about her past and the hardships she gracefully overcame that led her to become the remarkable woman she is today,” said Flood. “It is not often you hear from World War II survivors and what it took to create a life post-war. Erika is an admirable resident of Suffolk County, and it is my distinct honor to present a proclamation to recognize her for her heroic journey and inspiration to others.”