Oklahoma native Doug Cummings grew up in the oil patch. His father was an oil field foreman and during Doug's early childhood, his family frequently moved from one job site to another throughout Oklahoma and Kansas. He met his wife, Peggy, after moving to Crescent, Oklahoma. They both graduated from Crescent High School and attended the University of Oklahoma, where Doug received his bachelor's degree in geological engineering.
Doug and Peggy were married in 1951 and shortly thereafter Doug served two years as an officer in the U.S. Army, where he was stationed in both Japan and Korea. After returning home, he joined Kirkpatrick Oil Company where he worked for 18 years as a geological engineer. In 1972, he established the family business, Cummings Oil Company, that would later be managed by his two sons, Brent and Sean.
Active in Oklahoma City civic life, Doug served on the boards of various nonprofit organizations and was the longest-serving board member of the Kirkpatrick Family Fund. In 1974, Mr. and Mrs. Cummings established an advised fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. Doug died in 2018, but the couple's fund continues to support a variety of charitable organizations important to their family.