William Earle Hilgert

William Earle Hilgert, age 97, passed away on Tuesday, December 22, 2020, at Westminster-Canterbury-Blue Ridge in Charlottesville, Virginia. Although he died during a great pandemic, he did not contract or succumb to the corona virus. In the end, he lived with his memories. Fortunately, they were very, very good.

Reverend Hilgert, a Presbyterian minister and emeritus professor of New Testament at McCormick Theological Seminary, was born May 17, 1923, in Portland, Oregon, the first child of Katie Ann Earle Hilgert and Thomas Hilgert, a Seventh-day Adventist, minister. His mother expected a prodigy, and he did not disappoint. He graduated from Laurel Wood Academy at the age of 16, and received private tutoring in French and German for one year, before enrolling at La Sierra College in Arlington, California. Two years later, he transferred to Walla Walla College, in the state of Washington, and graduated in June, 1945. Years later, he described the next 12 months as a "dizzying time" during which he hitchhiked to Washington, D.C.; saw the end of World War II; earned a master’s degree in "Church History" from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary; agreed to become a missionary; and, on August 4, 1946, married his Swiss sweetheart, Elvire Roth. Weeks after the wedding, they sailed to Manila and spent the next four years at Philippine Union College, where he taught history, and she taught French and English.

Following their return to the United States, Earle became an Instructor in Bible and Systematic Theology at the Adventist Seminary in Takoma Park, Maryland. But, once again, higher education sang its siren song, and the young couple was off to the banks of the Rhine, to become students again. From 1956 to 1959, Earle studied at the University of Basel, under the mentorship of the great Swiss theologian, Karl Barth. During this period his life was transformed, and he also earned a PhD in Theology.

They returned to the US, this time to Berrien Springs, Michigan, where he became Professor of New Testament at Andrews University, and eventually moved on to become Vice President for Academic Administration.

In the early 1970’s, after a decade of profound reflection, they made the radically life altering decision to leave the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Earle became a Presbyterian, moved to Chicago, and accepted a position at McCormick Theological Seminary, where he became a professor of New Testament.

When Earle retired in the early 1990’s, they moved to Charlottesville, but the pursuits that had dominated his earlier life proved to be lifelong passions. He indulged his love of history by, among other things, compiling binders and pamphlets filled with faded photographs and stories of family ancestors. He spent many Sundays in the pulpit, serving as a guest preacher for various congregations in the Charlottesville area. And, at 96, he was still volunteering time to teach at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Virginia, sharing his ideas and expertise with other engaged learners. His beloved wife, Elvire, and his only sibling, Willa Hedrick, both predeceased him. He had no children, but he is survived by a nephew (James Hedrick) and two nieces (Merideth Trott and Priscilla Brunner), all of Dayton, Ohio; by a brother-in-law, Dr. Ariel A. Roth, and his wife, Lenore, of Loma Linda, California; his special Charlottesville friends, the Burnette family; and by many grand and great-grand nephews and nieces. He enjoyed warm and lasting friendships with many others at Westminster Canterbury, throughout the Charlottesville area, and across the country.

Ever the scholar, Earle spoke three languages, English, French and German, and read four more, Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. But his greatest joy came from the relationships with students and colleagues. When summing up his own father’s life, Earle said: "My father was the most non-judgmental person I have known. Although imbued with strong feelings of right and wrong for himself, he simply did not express judgements regarding the conduct of others." Earle held himself to the same standard. [He encouraged students to find out and then ponder the eternal questions. Don’t be too concerned when the answers elude you, because they will, he said. Instead, bow humbly in the presence of ineffable mystery and transcendent divinity.] He lived a life of acceptance and gratitude and he will always hold a special place in the hearts of those who regard it as a blessing to have known him.

A memorial service will be conducted at Westminster Canterbury, Charlottesville, at a date yet to be announced.