Robert E. Peary High School alumni will gather on Saturday, June 28, 2025, at the Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center in Rockville to dedicate a rediscovered plaque honoring the USS Peary mast, which now stands at the center. The event celebrates a renewed connection between the former high school, the U.S. Navy vessel, and the educational center where the mast has quietly resided for years.
Per the news release: “A special informal gathering of Robert E. Peary High School alumni will take place to honor the rediscovery and rededication of a historic plaque originally associated with the USS Peary Mast. The plaque will be donated to the Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center, where the mast has stood quietly for years, after being moved from its original location at Peary. Its now-permanent home has largely been unknown to the broader alumni community. The event will include a brief presentation and an opportunity to view the mast and select Peary artifacts housed inside the main building.
When: 10:00 am, Saturday, June 28, 2025
Where: Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center
5110 Meadowside Lane
Rockville, MD 20855
(Just off Muncaster Mill Road)
Why It Matters: This unique piece of Peary High School and US Navy history ties together multiple generations of alumni. The mast, once part of the USS Peary, was dedicated decades ago and continues to stand tall at the Smith Center. Recently, alumnus Judy Davis Zaal (Peary Class of 1973), currently a part-time staffer at Berman Hebrew Academy (previously Peary High School until 1984), was made aware of an uncovered, long-forgotten plaque connected to the USS Peary, presented to Berman at their school’s dedication. With help from Smith Center Supervisor Lee Derby (Peary Class of ’82), the plaque will now be displayed at the mast’s home for future visitors and students to appreciate.
Additional Background: The mast has been a fixture at the Smith Center for years, and the Center plays a key educational role for every 6th grade student in Montgomery County. Yet many Peary alumni never knew it existed. This rediscovered artifact strengthens the historical connection between Peary High School, the USS Peary and the Smith Center. A brief gathering of alumni at the site during the Peary Class of 1975 reunion weekend celebrates that legacy. While the whereabouts of the first USS Peary bell remains a mystery, the second bell currently resides in the bell tower at Berman Hebrew Academy — a story Judy and other alumni continue to piece together.”