CANTON -- Melvin J. Busler, Jr., the longtime sports personality of WWNY-TV 7 News, has been selected as the 2017 recipient of the SUNY Canton College Council's Distinguished Citizen award.

"Mel has become the face and voice of televised sports in the North Country," College Council Chair Ronald M. O'Neill said in a news release. "He's generous with his time, and he takes great pride in the North Country."

Busler was nominated for the award after volunteering extensively with area charitable organizations, including Meals on Wheels, the Victims Assistance Center of Jefferson County and the Disabled Persons Action Organization (DPAO), among numerous others. He will receive his award at the annual Faculty and Community Awards Dinner held Thursday, May 11, at SUNY Canton.

"Every disabled person who has met Mel comes away with the feeling that they have just met a long-lost friend," DPAO Respite Coordinator Terri A. Fulmer said in the release. "One individual told me 'his smile always seems to make things right'."

A Watertown native, Busler graduated from Immaculate Heart Central in 1977 and attended Jefferson Community College. He began his broadcast career with WATN radio in 1978 and joined WWNY-TV four years later. He became the full-time sportscaster on the evening news in 1984.

"Mel continues to use his celebrity [standing] to help, support and lead many different organizations here in the North Country," American Cancer Society Community Executive Director Don Boshart said in the release.

WWNY-TV News Director Scott D. Atkinson said Busler's community connection is one of the reasons the local newscast is so popular.

"Mel delivers for Meals on Wheels, hosts Relay For Life events and serves as master of ceremonies for countless charity events," Atkinson said in the release. "People can tell when someone's the real deal, and they know they've got that in Mel - and that's before you talk about all the local athletes he reports on in sports. We're lucky to have him."

He has won awards from the New York State Broadcasters Association, Associated Press and the Syracuse Press Club for his area sports coverage. He's been inducted into the Red and Black Football Hall of Fame, the American Football Association Hall of Fame and the Jefferson Community College Hall of Fame. He's also received the Immaculate Heart Central School Gala Award for Community Service and the Macsherry United Way Community Spirit Award.