Douglas (Doug) Swink was born in Richmond, Virginia on June 6, 1922 to A.O. and Mildred Jones Swink. He attended St. Christopher High School, received a B.S. from Davidson College, and an M.A. from the University of Richmond. He served as a member of the First French Army during World War II and was stationed in Africa, Italy, and France.

An interest in drama led Swink to play in summer stock at Priscilla Beach Theatre in Connecticut, where he also met his wife, Kay. He later became involved in little theatre and served as a director for companies in Wilson, Gastonia, and Kings Mountain before coming to Wilmington as the New Hanover High School dramatics teacher in 1955. In the late 1950s, Swink and Kay became involved in theatre with Wilmington College and lent their assistance to a summer theatre for students. Swink officially joined the faculty of Wilmington College in 1961 and founded the Department of Drama at the college's new campus on N.C. 132. He was also instrumental in the final design of the university's Kenan Auditorium and managed the facility for two decades. Swink retired in 1992.

Swink and his wife were also active in the local theatre community and were involved with numerous companies including Opera House Theatre Company, Thalian Association, Pied Piper Productions, and Rockin' Chair Players. For this work, they were honored with Celebrate Wilmington's Lifetime Achievement Award in theater and he was voted one of the Star News' 50 Most Influential Arts Leaders in 2004. Swink's last performance was in the Opera House Theatre production of “The Sunshine Boys”. He died on November 19, 2005.