Which is why the day he received a land patent signed by President James Polk must have been a joyful one for George Cary of DuPage County. The 40 acres was his. Nobody else could lay claim to it.

When the name Dr. James Polk floats around the network of eccentrics that comprise Austin's jazz scene, it's usually accompanied by a slate of honorifics: institution, legend, godfather.

James Knox Polk was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. Before he became president, Polk served as the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives and ninth ...