Cyrus (Cy) Arden Sutherland was born January 6, 1920 to James William and Lena McSpadden Sutherland in Rogers, Arkansas. He graduated from Rogers High School and went on to study at the University of Arkansas and the University of Iowa in radio broadcasting before joining the armed forces during World War II. Sutherland served at the Air Force Regional Hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska, and achieved the rank of captain before being discharged. After the war, Sutherland went to Harvard Design School, where he earned a Masters of Architecture Degree in 1949. While working in Boston, he met an artist, Martha Slocum, whom he married in 1951. Together Cy and Martha Sutherland raised three children, daughter Celia and sons Ian and Wren.

Between the years of 1953 and 1958, Cy and Martha lived in Europe, while Cy worked for an American architecture firm in England and France. In 1958, the Sutherlands moved back to Arkansas, where Cy became a member of the faculty of the University of Arkansas. While at the University, he developed many courses, including those on Historic Preservation. Sutherland also continued to practice architecture. He collaborated with colleagues on some projects and worked independently on others; projects included residences, libraries, churches, and a school. He continued working at the University for the next 32 years before retiring in 1990, at which time he was awarded Emeritus status.

Sutherland‘s passion for history and preserving historic buildings was widely recognized. He was involved in preservation and history organizations at every level. He was a founding member of the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas, active in the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Society for Architectural Historians and the Arkansas State Review Board for Historic Preservation among others. His ongoing efforts did not go unnoticed. Sutherland was honored numerous times for his contributions including the Historic Preservation and Service Award Main Street Program, Rogers (2000) and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arkansas Historical Association (2002). Cyrus Sutherland died November 15, 2008. He is buried at the Oakley Chapel Cemetery in Rogers, Arkansas.