Fred "Cy" williams, the architect
education
It was at the University of Notre Dame where Cy's, known at the time by his birth name, Fred, passion for architecture flourished.
In the years following high school, he developed a keen eye for design, drawing, and physical engineering. Knowing he was capable of more, he applied to UND in 1909 and was accepted at the age of 21, a little older, wiser, and taller than his classmates.
He excelled. He held leadership roles, was selected to design invitations to school balls, and earned recognition and praise from well-known architects. He prioritized academics but due to his highly organized and diligent attributes, he found time to earn a monogram in four sports.
Despite earning his acclaim in the world of sports, his sight was set on earning a degree and that he did four years later in 1913 with an invitation to join the Olympics in his back pocket and a signed letter committing to play for the Cubs in his breast.
Left-handed sports gave Cy stardom. Right-handed architecture and art gave him life-long purpose.
To Note: We are left without much to show for these formative years of his, as most of his work, including his gothic cathedral thesis, was destroyed in a fire or not retained.
baseball years
Believed to be the first college graduate to play MLB, Cy put his professional degree to use in the off-season. He didn't make enough money in his baseball career, given his unfortunate contract situation, so he had to put in long, laborious hours building a homestead and business. To his benefit, he remained in optimal shape, allowing not a beat to be skipped when spring training rolled around.
Post-Baseball
In the years following his baseball career, Cy truly became an architectural wonder.
(left) The Northernaire Hotel
(below) Jollywood - one of many lake homes built by Cy on the Three Lakes chain of lakes.