During his history-making term as Virginia’s governor in the early 1970s, Linwood Holton forged a friendship with acclaimed Thomas Jefferson biographer Dumas Malone.

“Every time I went to the Charlottesville area, I would call him up and say, 'Well, have you got any Virginia Gentleman handy?’” Holton said with a chuckle. “And his response was, 'Come on over, governor, the ice will be out by the time you get here.’”

The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian had more than a drink to offer Holton. Malone also had sage advice for Virginia’s first Republican governor since Reconstruction.

“He said, 'Governor, be sure to write your memoirs. Otherwise, your perspective will never be known,’” Holton said in an interview last week. “That kept nudging me all through the years – 'Holton, you’ve got to get this done.’”

Holton, now 84, eventually got it done, more than three decades after completing a gubernatorial term that was a pivotal period in Virginia history. His book, “Opportunity Time,” was published by University of Virginia Press and released this spring.

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