Joe received a BA degree in journalism from Texas A&M University and a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force in 1954. He served a Texas Press Association internship at the San Antonio Express-News in 1953, and before going on active duty worked as a reporter for the Jackson County Democrat.
Since earning a master’s degree in public administration at Auburn, and retiring in San Antonio, Hipp has written several articles and published three non-fiction books. A feature story he wrote for the Jackson County Democrat, turned into A Robbery on the Iron Mountain Railroad. While working on the Express-News, he wrote R.G. Jordan’s Cattle Clatter column while Jordan was on vacation. That began his interest in South Texas ranching and resulted in his writing The Oldest Ranch in Texas. A story of his mother’s teaching career, Teacher, Teacher, was a family project.