One Christmas I got the bright idea to give my Mom a copy of Ben Bradlee’s book A Good Life. The book had just been published and I knew that Mom was a fan of Mr. Bradlee.
My son Brady was doing some carpentry work for Mr. Bradlee at his Porto Bello residence on the St. Mary’s River. I used that “in” to phone Mr. Bradlee and ask if he would mind signing a copy of his book for my Mom.
Mr. Bradlee told me to swing by and he would be glad to sign the book for me. I immediately drove over to Porto Bello where Mr. Bradlee escorted me into his office, pulled up a chair and asked “You said this was for your Mom right?” After I answered yes, he then proceeded to pen the following inscription.
“A good life is having a good son – right? Ben Bradlee”
And here is the scene in the movie that Woodward referenced: