Phillips was born in Temple in Bell County in Central Texas, to J. A. Phillips and the former Kate Hooker, but he was reared in Lubbock, where he graduated in 1942 from Lubbock High School. He studied animal husbandry at [[Texas Tech University]] until his education was interrupted by [[United States Army]] service in [[World War II]] in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Released from the military, he wed the former Mary Frances Crush in Baytown, Texas. They lived in Lubbock, where Phillips was a developer and operated Phillips Agency Realtors. He was the youngest president of the Texas Association of Realtors and was affiliated as well with the National Association of Realtors.<ref name=obit>{{cite web|url=http://lubbockonline.com/obituaries/2012-01-26/joe-b-phillips?v=1327541570|title=Joe B. Phillips obituary|publisher=''Lubbock Avalanche-Journal''|accessdate=January 26, 2012}}</ref> | Phillips was born in Temple in Bell County in Central Texas, to J. A. Phillips and the former Kate Hooker, but he was reared in Lubbock, where he graduated in 1942 from Lubbock High School. He studied animal husbandry at [[Texas Tech University]] until his education was interrupted by [[United States Army]] service in [[World War II]] in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Released from the military, he wed the former Mary Frances Crush in Baytown, Texas. They lived in Lubbock, where Phillips was a developer and operated Phillips Agency Realtors. He was the youngest president of the Texas Association of Realtors and was affiliated as well with the National Association of Realtors.<ref name=obit>{{cite web|url=http://lubbockonline.com/obituaries/2012-01-26/joe-b-phillips?v=1327541570|title=Joe B. Phillips obituary|publisher=''Lubbock Avalanche-Journal''|accessdate=January 26, 2012}}</ref> |