Don Hooper
In kindergarten, Don Hooper was the last to master coloring inside the lines. But with an undergrad degree and a master’s from Harvard, even on Hooper’s screwiest days, people surmised erroneously that he must be smarter than he seems. Hooper is or has been: a Peace Corps teacher in Botswana; a back-to-land Vermont invader; goat milker; farmers’ marketeer; dirt worshiper; tree hugger; legislator; Secretary of State. With his partner Allison (co-founder of Vermont Creamery), the Hoopers have produced three, side-hill, entrepreneurial lads, Miles, Sam, and Jay, who perpetuate revered Vermont traditions of thinking outside the box, earnest tinkering, and trying not to make things worse. Grandkids Olcott and Weston call Hoops “Mothusi,” which means “helper,” the generous nickname his students gave him in Botswana.
Don’s Books
Bill Mares & Jane Smith
November 14, 2025
“As this marvelous book makes clear…that sense of underlying community…will bring us through…”
—Bill McKibben, climate activist and author of eighteen books
Don’s Events
Follow us on social media to learn about more events.
Don Hooper & Bill Mares
December 7, 2021
“The real deal of Vermont's rich history of humor.”
—Anne Galloway, founder of VTDigger
2022 Gold Winner, Human Relations Indie Book Awards, Humor Category