After filling various roles there for twenty years, Hilgert retired from McCormick Theological Seminary in 1990 as Professor Emeritus of New Testament.

[1][2] Hilgert, who had been ordained as a pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1972, died in a church-sponsored retirement community, Westminster-Canterbury-Blue Ridge,[2][3] in Charlottesville, Virginia.

[1][2] At this point, Earle joined Elvire at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago as a librarian—she having begun work there five years earlier as the head cataloging librarian.

He also led or participated in many professional developments including; creating the Philo Institute with faculty colleagues, especially Robert Hamerton-Kelly (1971); editing and publishing the journal, Studia Philonica (1972–1979); and influencing the Society of Biblical Literature to create a program unit for Philo of Alexandria (1984).

[1] Hilgert wrote many periodical and journal articles and book chapters, as well as serving on the editorial team and writing materials for the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary.