01/25/2025
Has anyone ever heard of a house known as the 'White Elephant' on East Avenue?
Edna Mae Phillips Aklus, the daughter of Annie and Alfred Phillips, was born on April 28, 1914, and died April 22, 2014, just 6 days shy of her 100th birthday.
June 6, 1936, she married Frank Harry Aklus [1908-1995] at First Presbyterian Church, Perth Amboy. They brought a home and settled in Sewaren.
Frank worked for NJ Bell Telephone. Edna began a career in the narcotics division of Merck Pharmaceuticals, Rahway, where she worked until the birth of her son Robert Frank Aklus [27 Dec. 1941]
Frank entered the US Army Signal Corps and was deployed to Europe in 1942. The Signal Corps was responsible for establishing and maintaining military communications for American forces, including radio, telephone lines, and message centers, essentially acting as the communication backbone for the army during the early stages of their involvement in the European theater of World War II. They played a crucial role in documenting the war through photography; capturing images of liberated concentration camps, providing crucial evidence of N**i atrocities.
Edna became a "Rosie the Riveter"; building Wildcat airplanes at the Eastern Aircraft division of General Motors Corp., Linden.
In 1945, "M/Sgt. Frank H. Aklus was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service in connection with military operations against the enemy, as Platoon Sergeant, 35th Signal Construction Battalion from October 1, 1943 to March 1945, in England, France, Belgium, and Germany. Prior to the invasion of France M/Sgt. Aklus, overcoming countless difficulties, supervised the construction of a military circuit to supplement the civil British communication system. Throughout subsequent operations upon the continent he capablely directed his Platoon in the er****on and maintenance of hundreds of miles of wire lines in support of combat operations of First Army. By his sound technical knowledge and skill, M/Sgt. contributed materially toward the cause of victory, reflecting credit upon himself and the military service." [Fords Beacon, May 31. 1945]
After the war, Edna left Eastern Aircraft. Frank came home and back to his career at New Jersey Bell Telephone. Their daughter, Karen Marlene Aklus Jones was born [about 1947].