has anyone ever served non-consecutive terms as VA governor, besides one guy whose name I forgot in the 1970s-1980s? Is the state's political culture accepting of the concept in the abstract?
It's accepting, the very first governor having done that (then, the rule was 3 terms of 1 year and then 4 years ban). Patrick Henry did 1776-1779 and 1784-1786. James Monroe (1799-1802, 1811 (resigned 4 months into his term to become Secretary of State) also served non-consecutive terms under that rule.
In recent years, only Mills Godwin did it( 1965-1969 and 1973-1977 (the former one as Democrat, the latter as Republican))