Along with archival footage, Hesburgh consists of dozens of interviews with friends and family members as well as prominent figures such as Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, former chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Mary Frances Berry, former U.S.

His 35 years in office saw Notre Dame's enrollment, faculty, and endowment increase dramatically as he transformed the school previously known only for its football team into a prestigious, coeducational academic institution.

[2][5] At conferences, delegates from the United States and the Soviet Union did not want to speak with each other, but they trusted Hesburgh, and he became friends with both sides and tried to bridge the divide in an effort to defuse the nuclear arms race.

The committee spent two years gathering information despite stiff opposition from local leaders like George Wallace, but when it was time to write a report, the commission, which included both African Americans and segregationists, disagreed on the contents.

Again, Hesburgh used his ability to build bridges between adversaries; he invited the members to Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin, where they fished and bonded as friends, soon afterwards finishing a report recommending strong civil rights legislation.

Margo Howard is interviewed and details Hesburgh's long standing friendship with her mother Eppie Lederer, the writer of advice column Ask Ann Landers.

"[5] He also said he wanted the film to serve as a reminder of what good leadership looks like, as well as to preserve Hesburgh's legacy after he was no longer on the world stage: "I realized that his story was just going to fade away," he said.

"[9] The production team did extensive research, referencing newspaper articles, personal letters, and film footage to make the documentary, although Creadon said he avoided reading Hesburgh's autobiography, God, Country, Notre Dame, which helped him maintain an objective perspective.

[12] Writing for The New York Times, Glenn Kenny praised Hesburgh as "consistently smart about its subject" and noted it would be a welcome respite for Catholics to see a film about a "genuinely heroic"—not scandal-ridden—priest.

[1] The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday praised what she called a "moving, illuminating slice of American life and social history" but asked if Hesburgh was too good to be true and noted that the film did not discuss the Catholic Church sexual abuse cases.