Gus Harry Pearlman was born on March 4, 1913 in Charleston. He graduated cum laude in 1933 from the College of Charleston, and received his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1937. He was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, President of the Blue Key, President of the Society of Wig & Robe, on the Editorial Board of the South Carolina Law Review, and President of his Law School class.
Judge Pearlman served in the Sumter National Guard from 1938 through 1941 and then as an officer in the United States Navy from 1941 through 1946. He served in the Pacific combat theater during World War II.
He served the people of South Carolina during his tenure as Judge of Probate for Charleston County from 1955 through 1991. He was the President of the South Carolina Association of Probate Judges and served as a National Executive Committeeman for the National College of Probate Judges. He was a member of the Judicial Council of South Carolina and served on the ad hoc Committee on Probate Laws from 1963 through 1987.
Judge Pearlman received numerous awards and honors including the College of Charleston’s Distinguished Alumnus Award, The Charleston Lawyers Appreciation Commendation, the Charleston County Service Recognition Award, and the Probate Judges Association Diplomat Achievement Award. The Charleston County Bar Association recently celebrated and honored Judge Pearlman’s service on the bench by commissioning an artist to paint his portrait which is now displayed at the Charleston County Courthouse.
Surviving are his wife of 57 years, Betty Mae (Bernstein) Pearlman, and three sons: Robert B. Pearlman, David T. Pearlman, and Jonathan H. Pearlman, M.D.