Murray C. Perlman was born in Savannah, Georgia, on July 26, 1932, the son of Morris Perlman and Helen Schwartz Perlman. He was a lifelong resident of Savannah and a graduate of Benedictine Military School and Spring Hill College in Alabama.

Murray was an owner and partner of Savannah Galleries, which started selling fine American, English, and French antique furniture in 1968. Murray met Wayne Spear at a party in Atlanta in the mid-1960s. They became life partners in a relationship that lasted for over 50 years. In 2015, Murray and Wayne were legally married. They traveled worldwide and kept an apartment in New York City.

Murray was passionate about preserving the history of Savannah. His philanthropy included the Historic Savannah Foundation and numerous other organizations dedicated to history. He was especially proud of his and Wayne’s support of the refurbished Kennedy Pharmacy on Broughton Street which, with the addition of a new building, was dedicated in April 2022 as the Murray C. Perlman & Wayne C. Spear Preservation Center. It will serve as a community programming and event space.

Murray Perlman died January 23, 2022, at age 89, and is buried in Greenwich Cemetery in Savannah. The Murray C. Perlman Fund was established in 2022 by the Murray C. Perlman Trust, ensuring that his commitment to Georgia history will continue in perpetuity.