The ripple effect of Dorothy Pearlman

Published 10:36 pm Sunday, August 12, 2012

Teacher, arts advocate, cancer center benefactor. These are just a few of the words to describe Dorothy C. Pearlman’s long life. A few of the ways which she influenced, inspired and changed Valdosta for the better.

Dorothy Pearlman died last week at the age of 94. Though she spent her last days living with her son in Knoxville, Tenn., her impact will continue to be felt in South Georgia for years to come.

With her husband, Sidney Pearlman, who died several years ago, Dorothy Pearlman was instrumental in establishing the Lowndes/Valdosta Arts Commission, which eventually became the umbrella organization of the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts.

It is this couple’s name that greets patients and families as they enter the Pearlman Comprehensive Cancer Center at South Georgia Medical Center.

Dorothy Pearlman was able to make some of these things possible thanks to she and her husband’s generosity in putting their money where their beliefs were.

But the example of Dorothy Pearlman’s life runs deeper than monetary donations.

An advocate of the arts, the legend claims Dorothy Pearlman ran an arts center from the back of her car before LVAC found its pre-Turner Center home in a former office building near Valdosta State.

As a teacher, she inspired numerous students in the arts and academics. She  influenced a new generation of area teachers, artists and leaders.

You see, Dorothy Pearlman didn’t just believe in ideas and causes. She believed in people, too. Her life continues to influence and inspire through those whose lives have been changed by the people whose lives she changed.