University of British Columbia (UBC) but was forced to leave two years later due to his radical ideas. His different approach toward architecture did not align with the ideas of modernism at the time. He wanted to create buildings responding to nature and the organic rhythm of life, which was unprecedented in the 1950s. In his third year of studies, he was told by the director of UBC that he had "a wrong background" for the program and the profession. After he left Vancouver and returned to Red Deer to start working at local architectural firms as a draftsman. His ejection from UBC made it impossible for him to apply to Canadian universities again. Cardinal also wanted a change of scenery due to racism towards Indigenous people in his home country so decided to head south, stopping in Arizona and Mexico, and later settling in Texas. Eventually, he attended the University of Texas at Austin, from which he graduated with a degree in Architecture in 1963. In university, he also studied cultural anthropology, due to his cultural heritage and philosophy based on the sacredness of life and nature. He wanted to study people and did not feel that the buildings around him were designed around people. His philosophy was inspired by architect Rudolph Steiner, with whom Douglas studied at University of Texas. Steiner's work led Douglas to study anthropomorphism, which he applied to his work. The idea of anthropomorphism and its concept of responding to human behavior, natural cycles of life and the beauty of sacred land and tectonics aligned with Cardinal's cultural heritage. Another inspiration for Cardinal were works of Frank Lloyd Wright. He appreciated his organic way of responding to the landscape with the use of natural materials, such as stone and brick. In Texas, he accepted his Indigenous heritage and one of his professors even encouraged him to learn more about his background. Career Cardinal opened his private practice in 1964, and the same year he was commissioned to design St. Mary's Church in Red Deer, Alberta. Construction was completed in 1968, and it has since been recognized as a prominent example in the history of Canadian architecture. In 2007, the church was featured on a Canada Post stamp series featuring four Canadian architects to commemorate the centennial of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC). Beginning with his work on St. Mary's, Cardinal was one of