Dr. Greg Thomas of Weddington can quickly recite a list of famous people who were Eagle Scouts – and tell you where to find a list online.

But finding a list of Eagle Scouts in Union and other counties isn’t as simple. And that’s a problem, because Thomas wants Eagle Scouts in seven counties to know they’re invited to the “Gathering of Eagles,” an event celebrating the centennial of the Eagle Scout award.

The free event for Eagle Scouts will be Nov. 8 at Camp John J. Barnhardt at Badin Lake in Stanly County and is sponsored by the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) Central North Carolina Council. The Council covers Union, Rowan, Stanly, Anson, Cabarrus, Richmond and Montgomery counties.

“Regardless of where he received his award, we are inviting all Eagle Scouts in our council (area) to join in a night of fellowship and celebration, as well as join in the presentation of the 2012 NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award,” said Thomas, who serves on the Council’s executive board and volunteers with the Boy Scouts in Union County.

Thomas, who earned his Eagle Scout Award in 1979 as a teenager in Dublin, Ga., said Arthur Eldred of Oceanside, N.Y., received the first Eagle Scout award in 1912.

“Over two million youth have earned this distinguished award since it was first recognized as the highest award in scouting,” he said.

Of those two million, he estimates that about 80 percent of them are still living. Last year 51,473 earned the award, representing almost 10 million hours of service. He said each Eagle Scout devotes 180-185 hours to his service project. Fewer than five percent of those who enter the Boy Scouts will become Eagle Scouts, he said.

“There are a lot of people who will tell you that one of their biggest regrets is that they didn’t go through with it,” he said.

And those who do become Eagle Scouts often lose track of each other as they move through their lives. Events such as the “Gathering of Eagles” are a great way to reconnect, meet new people and network.

The “Gathering of Eagles” begins at 4 p.m. with tours of Camp John J. Barnhardt, “the jewel of our council,” Thomas said. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., a program featuring food, raffles, awards, and other activities will be held in the camp’s dining hall. The guest speaker is Albemarle Mayor Elbert L. “Whit” Whitley Jr., also an Eagle Scout.

The program will feature some “special recognitions,” Thomas said.

“Oldest, youngest, how many generations in one family – for example. It’s really a night of celebration,” Thomas said.