Since 1976, the College has given this prestigious award in recognition of exceptional, unusual, and distinguished service to SUNY Canton, to the community, to the state, or to the nation.

Members of the community are invited to submit nominations for the award. Nominations, which must be submitted in writing, should include the name; position/title; a description; and a brief biography of the nominee. At least three letters of support from non-family members should accompany the nomination. Nominations, which are due Feb. 1, 2013, should be submitted to Mr. Ronald O’Neill, College Council Chairman, SUNY Canton, 34 Cornell Drive – FOB 616, Canton, NY 13617.

The SUNY Canton College Council will select the recipient at its March 2013 meeting. The award will be announced at the President’s Gala reception, just before Commencement 2013, and the recipient’s name will be prominently displayed on a plaque in the Richard W. Miller Campus Center.

Last year’s recipient of the prestigious award was Town Supervisor David T. Button.

For more information, contact Michaela Young, secretary to the president, at (315) 386-7204 or by email at youngm@canton.edu.

Dr. G. Michael and Barbara Maresca will jointly receive the Distinguished Citizen Award at the 103rd Commencement Ceremony to be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 21, in SUNY Canton’s new athletic center, nicknamed Roos House.

Dr. G. Michael and Barbara Maresca are the 2011 recipients of SUNY Canton's Distinguished Citizen Award.

“The Marescas care deeply about their community and believe passionately that it is a privilege to be successful,” said Chloe Ann O’Neil, a SUNY Canton College Council board member and a retired New York State Assembly member. “They believe and inspire others with their responsibility to make opportunities to share that privilege. They are the kind of people who make our area a truly unique and wonderful place to live.”

In 2007, the Marescas issued a challenge to SUNY Canton’s alumni and friends to raise $100,000 to bolster the educational needs of the nursing program and its students and pledged matching donations to help continue the support. “Their efforts have led to nearly $500,000 in additional scholarship or program support benefiting the nursing program,” former College Council Chairman Wesley L. Stitt said.

Dr. Maresca is the chief of medical staff and chief of radiology at Canton-Potsdam Hospital, and the president and founder of St. Lawrence Radiology Associates. He is a champion of pioneering imaging technology, according to David B. Acker, president and CEO of Canton-Potsdam Hospital.

“Building a foundation for this community’s future has been a hallmark of the Maresca’s charitable work and of Dr. Maresca’s medical leadership,” Acker said. “In founding a nursing scholarship at SUNY Canton, and challenging others to match it, the Marescas have served students and have helped fill a critical gap in area hospitals and healthcare providers’ needs for additional well-trained nurses.”

Beyond their support for the health of North Country residents, the Marescas are avid motocross enthusiasts. This year they’ve sponsored a round of the American Motorcycle Association’s National Hare Scrambles series in Pavilion, and sponsored AMA rider Nathan A. Kanney. Both sponsorships were created in collaboration with SUNY Canton’s powersports performance and repair program and have led to high levels of visibility for the College.

“This is an experience we have wanted to put in place for our graduates for quite a while,” Mark Hill, director of the powersports program said. “The Marescas have helped create an opportunity for our students to see what goes into a national competition from a business standpoint. I think it will open their eyes to the many different opportunities that exist in the powersports industry.”

Dr. Michael and Barbara Maresca moved to the area in 1991. They have two children, Margaret and Michael. Dr. Maresca is a graduate of West Virginia University, the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the State University of New York Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse.

Barbara graduated from the University of Maryland.

The family is well known for their involvement behind the scenes with many philanthropic and charitable endeavors.

Media inquiries should be directed to Gregory Kie, Media Relations Coordinator, or call 315/386-7528.

The College bestows the prestigious award in recognition of exceptional, unusual, and distinguished service to SUNY Canton, to the community, to the State, or to the nation. The award was first given in 1976.

Members of the community are invited to submit written nominations for the award. To nominate someone, please include the name; position/title; a description; and a brief biography. At least three letters of support from non-family members should accompany the nomination. Nominations, which are due February 1, 2011, should be submitted to Mr. Ronald O’Neill, College Council Chairman, SUNY Canton, 34 Cornell Drive – FOB 616, Canton, NY, 13617.

The SUNY Canton College Council will select the recipient at its March 29, 2011 meeting. The recipient’s name will be displayed on plaque in the Richard W. Miller Campus Center.

For more information, contact Mrs. Stacey Basford, Executive Assistant to the President, at (315) 386-7204 or by email at basfords@canton.edu.

Joseph Rich, the founder of the Disabled Persons Action Organization (DPAO), will be recognized along with the 2010 graduating class at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 22, in an outdoor ceremony adjacent to the Richard W. Miller Campus Center.

“We give this award to recognize those who have made the community a better place for everyone,” said SUNY Canton President Joseph L. Kennedy. “Joe Rich has positively influenced the North Country in many ways. I hope our graduates look at what he has done as a model for future success.”

While working at WWNY TV – 7 News in 1974, Rich received a phone call asking for the station’s help; a local boy had been accidentally shot during a hunting accident. Left paralyzed and without the ability to breathe on his own, the boy’s future was to remain in the hospital, but his family wanted to care for him.

With permission from the station, Rich orchestrated fundraisers for the family and raised enough money to put an addition on their home and install life support equipment. Rich continued his work by creating the DPAO, where he worked to raise money for the agency and brought in funding for the disabled in the community. “We wanted to help ease the stress on families in their own homes,” he said.

For over 30 years, Rich developed the DPAO from a one-man organization to a 140 staff member agency that serves more than 500 individuals. “The DPAO is a vital institution in Watertown,” said City of Watertown Mayor Jeffrey E. Graham. “He became a cultural icon by organizing concerts which raised money for the DPAO, but equally important, he provided culture and entertainment for the City.”

Many of his ideas and practices have been implemented across the state over the years, but Rich wanted to extend his work beyond New York, according to New York State Democratic Executive Committee Chair June F. O’Neill. “His accomplishments have been extraordinary and are not limited to our region,” she said. “Joe is a founding member and president of the 1 World Foundation. He travels to the West Indies to help residents with special needs.”

Hundreds of lives have been enriched through his advocacy, according to Diana Jones Ritter commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

“His compassion, diplomacy and communication skills educated people in upstate New York to embrace individuals with developmental disabilities as contributing members of their communities,” she said. “He is truly the voice of the people.”

While his résumé is extensive, he insists the credit should not go to him. “I’ve been the facilitator, but it’s been the people that work with us that have made the difference,” Rich said “That’s the way it is in the North Country. People care about people.”

A Watertown native, Rich graduated from Empire State College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism in 1970. He worked in both radio and television before pursuing his work with the DPAO full time. He currently resides in Watertown with his wife, Carol. Although retired, he still spends his time volunteering and serves on the Foundation Board at Jefferson Community College and is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Watertown Savings Bank. He’s a two-time recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow from the Rotary Club and is heavily involved in the 1 World Foundation.

Media inquiries should be directed to Gregory Kie, Media Relations Coordinator, or call 315/386-7528.

Since 1976, the College has given this prestigious award in recognition of exceptional, unusual, and distinguished service to SUNY Canton, to the community, to the State, or to the nation.

Members of the community are invited to submit nominations for the award. Nominations, which must be submitted in writing, should include the name; position/title; a description; and a brief biography of the nominee. At least three letters of support from non-family members should accompany the nomination. Nominations, which are due February 1, 2010, should be submitted to Mr. Ronald O’Neill, College Council Chairman, SUNY Canton, 34 Cornell Drive FOB 616, Canton, NY 13617.

The SUNY Canton College Council will select the recipient at its March 16, 2010 meeting. The recipient’s name will be displayed on plaque in the Richard W. Miller Campus Center.

For more information, contact Mrs. Stacey Basford, Executive Assistant to the President, at (315) 386-7204 or by email at basfords@canton.edu.

SUNY Canton offers a wide variety of career-driven bachelor’s, associate, and certificate programs. Most of SUNY Canton’s new four-year programs are designed so students can take them on-campus, online, or both. SUNY Canton OnLine features more than 100 courses online each semester. The College’s athletic teams belong to the NAIA’s Sunrise Conference, enabling students to compete in their respective sports for four years. Construction is now underway for the College’s new Convocation, Athletic, and Recreation Center.

Media inquiries should be directed to Gregory Kie, Media Relations Coordinator, or call 315/386-7528.

Catherine B. Newell and Allan P. Newell will be honored at the college’s 99th Commencement Ceremony held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 19, outdoors on the Edson A. Martin Athletic Fields.

Catherine Barnett Newell represents the fifth generation of her family to make her home in St. Lawrence County. She is well known for her commitment to the area, as evidenced by her volunteerism and extraordinary personal efforts to make things happen throughout the North Country, not the least of which includes SUNY Canton’s very own Newell Veterinary Technology Center.

Catherine is a former elementary school teacher, and founding member of the environmental organization Save the River, North Country Citizens for Responsible Land Use, and the Hammond History and Folk Art Museum. She is also a former board member of the St. Lawrence Aquarium and Ecological Center, Ogdensburg Command Performances, and North Country Public Radio’s Community Advisory Board.

Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors of the Frederic Remington Art Museum, United Helpers Organization, North Country Center for Yoga and Health, Grasse River Heritage Development Corporation, and Canton Free Library.

In 1992, Catherine co-founded the Sweetgrass Foundation, a private charitable institution which provides financial support to local non-profit organizations, with an ultimate mission to improve the quality of life in our region. Since its inception, she has served as the Foundation’s Vice President and Secretary.

Allan P. Newell represents the fifth generation of his family to reside in St. Lawrence County. His philanthropic and altruistic spirit have benefited many worthwhile endeavors resulting in a better North Country.

Allan served in the U.S. Navy for four years and on the Newell Rubbermaid Inc. Board of Directors for the past 24 years. He has served on many boards in the North Country, including SUNY Potsdam College Foundation, Frederic Remington Art Museum, St. Lawrence County Historical Association, Save the River, Thousand Island Land Trust, and the North Country Savings Bank.

His current community commitments include being a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Lawrence University, Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY), The Antique Boat Museum, and The Remington Art Museum’s International Advisory Board.

As founder of the Sweetgrass Foundation, Allan has served as its President and Treasurer for the past fifteen years. To date, over 250 grants have been awarded to numerous regional organizations, including the private funding required to secure the matching state funds for the construction of SUNY Canton’s Newell Veterinary Technology Center. At the time, this gift was the largest in SUNY Canton’s history. Many North Country students also continue to benefit from the Allan P. and Catherine B. Newell Endowed Scholarship established by them with a personal gift in 2003 at SUNY Canton.