December 15, 1999
Nacogdoches man
receives Latvian medal
___By Ashlee Ross
___Regional Correspondent
___NACOGDOCHES--Carlos Gruber left Latvia with his family when he was 13. But it was his work on behalf of Latvians while he was living in America that earned him Latvia's three-star decoration more than 75 years later.
___The president of Latvia presented the award, which is equivalent to the Congressional Medal of Honor, to Gruber, a member of First Baptist Church in Nacogdoches, in a ceremony in November. The Baptist convention in Latvia recommended Gruber for the award.
CARLOS AND VIVIAN GRUBER show the Latvian proclamation to their pastor.
___When he was 13, Gruber left Latvia with his family and 2,000 other families for mission work in Brazil.
___"There was a revival in Latvia at that time, and they felt called to go to Brazil," said Vivian Gruber, Carlos Gruber's wife and a retired professor. "His family joined with the group that was going."
___While in Brazil, Gruber attended college and taught in a Baptist college. He also learned to play the violin and taught it to others.
___"I always wanted to play violin," he explained. "That was my dream."
___He moved to Texas in 1937 to study at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, graduating in 1940.
___That year, communists took over Latvia. So when Gruber began work as pastor of the Latvian Baptist Church in New York City, people in London and Washington, D.C., were giving him information about what was happening behind the Iron Curtain.
___And what was happening was disturbing to the native Latvian. Communists took over his former church and all its property except the sanctuary. Only worship services were permitted; Sunday School was not allowed.
___Gruber decided to publish a magazine about conditions in his homeland under the communist regime. "In that magazine, we wrote what really was happening in Latvia," he said.
___Although his work was on behalf of Latvians, government officials in Latvia placed his name on their hit list right below the name of the ambassador to Latvia, Gruber said.
___In 1965, the Grubers moved to Nacogdoches, where Mrs. Gruber became dean of foreign languages at Stephen F. Austin University. He continued working on behalf of Latvians through the Gruber Evangelism Mission. He continues to publish a newsletter reporting mission work in Latvia.
___The Grubers took their first trip back to Latvia in 1989. Since then, he has been back 13 times.
___Once Latvia proclaimed independence in 1991, the world saw for themselves what Gruber had reported. There were immediate needs for food, clothing, medical supplies and toys.
___Along with other churches, First Baptist sent four containers--18-wheeler-sized packages--of supplies to Latvia.
___Once they were able, people from Nacogdoches began visiting Latvia. A college group went on a mission trip to Latvia, and Pastor Alan Reed preached at Matthew's Baptist Church of Riga, Gruber's home church. First Baptist Church also raised $10,000 to help build a fellowship hall and education building for that church.
___Because of his work for Latvians, a Baptist convention in Latvia recommended Gruber for the country's three-star decoration, the highest award given by the government.
___When they met, Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga told Gruber she knew of him because of his work on the paper in New York City.
___"For me, that was the greatest surprise," Gruber said.
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