School of Communication Professor Davis Houck is a lifelong civil rights activist and scholar. Last year, Houck created the Emmett Till Memory App with a team and doctoral student Pablo Correa.

The idea came to fruition in August 2014 between Houck and two good friends and colleagues: Dave Tell from the University of Kansas and Chris Spielvogel from Penn State. A brick and mortar memorial trail can take years, so the team thought outside the box. In partnership with Google Field Trip, the app was born.

The app features more than 50 sites including the store in Money where Emmett whistled at Carolyn Bryant; the home of Moses Wright where he was kidnapped; the newly refurbished Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner; the site of his death in a barn near Drew,; more obscure locations including the gravesite of Emmett’s great uncle, Crosby Smith, who played a pivotal role in the case.

In May, the app was awarded the Heritage Award for Education by the Mississippi Heritage Trust. The organization gives awards to individuals and organizations that make preservation of Mississippi’s history a priority.