CANTON – Dr. G. Michael and Barbara Maresca will jointly receive the Distinguished Citizen Award at SUNY Canton’s 103rd Commencement Ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Roos House.

The SUNY Canton College Council has chosen the radiologist and his wife to receive the award for their philanthropy and civic involvement.

“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 member and a retired New York State Assemblywoman. “They believe and inspire others with their responsibility to make opportunities to share that privilege.”

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 J. Stitt said.

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 Marescas’ 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.”

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.