Throughout his career, John Hersey was active in organizations as a writer and involved in public issues as a private citizen. He joined the Authors League of America in 1948, becoming an officer and an active member. In 1953, he was the youngest writer ever asked to join the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1954, he became a member of the National Citizens Committee for the Public Schools and pursued his interest in writing and speaking about education. At the White House Arts Festival in 1965, he did a public reading from Hiroshima.
Before his death in 1993, Hersey was recognized by Yale University for his contributions to journalism and literature. Yale established the annual John Hersey Lecture, an avenue for bringing writers to the campus to talk about their work. Hersey died on March 24, 1993, at the age of 78.
