While searching through the attic of his father’s house, a son came across boxes of old items. The most interesting were piles of love letters sent from a man named Max. From 1913-1978, Max and Pearle wrote to each other. All his letters begin with “My Sweet Pearle” and end with “Forever yours, Max”. These letters were supposed to have been burned when Pearle passed away in 1980, but the family didn’t honor those wishes, and one of the greatest love stories began to unfold.
In 1911, a woman named Pearle Schwarz met a man named Maxwell Savelle at the Country Club. They fell deeply in love. Unfortunately, Maxwell would not convert to Judaism (his parents were Southern Baptists) and so they could not be together. They went their separate ways – Maxwell went into the Navy and Pearle continued to pine for him until she died. She never let go. He married eventually, though the letters do not include much information about that.
There were hundreds upon hundreds of letters, all filled with the emotional writings of a man who never stopped loving a woman, even though they could never be together.
Religious differences between the families kept the two from being together.
“I love you. I can say no more. – Max” This is the note he wrote to Pearle after she told him they could only marry if he converted religions. He immediately moved away. The next letters are in postmarked envelopes.
“Monday Evening – I understand. I have understood from the beginning. I only lacked your confirmation of my belief. I cannot come to the club anymore. I am weak and cannot make myself undergo the torture that would mean for me, and why, because I love you. I could not bear to be near you and see you and feel that you…” The rest of the letter is lost. The envelope says “The first letter I received after telling him we could not be together.” (Written by Pearle.)
This is Maxwell H. Savelle. After leaving Mobile, he joined the Navy. He went on to earn his MA, MBA, and PhD from Columbia University, taught history there and later became a professor of American Colonial History at the University of Washington. He published numerous papers, wrote a handful of books, and some of you may have even taken history classes which used his textbooks. He passed away in 1979 at the age of 83, survived by at least one daughter, who we think is named Michelle/Michele.
They continued to write to each other for the rest of their lives. The only letters found were from Max; the family hopes to find Pearle’s letters so that they can get the whole story.
