The Henry Ford Award is named after a man whose staunchly individualistic spirit and meticulous reason had brought about the most gargantuan leap in the history of production: the assembly line. We at The Rational Argumentator also recognize that any endeavor or enterprise, no matter how efficient, can always be enhanced and ameliorated. Unlike the stale elitists of our era--who scornfully and disdainfully dismiss innovators--TRA would like to offer recognition and respect to any readers who suggest means for improving or adding elements of site design, format, features, or the efficiency of its construction. Thus, we shall present public commendation to any party whose suggestions or contributions elevate the technical facets of the site. The following is a list of the award's recipients thus far, in chronological order.

 

 

 

Luke Edelman:

Mr. Edelman, President of Edelman Technologies, is a man who had decisively advanced the publication's communication network by suggesting and developing a registration form for the TRA mailing list. His subsequent interactions with The Rational Argumentator have also acquainted its editors with the ability to post pages other than those created with GeoCities Page Builder. Additionally, he has contributed to the site's ideological content by publishing the insightful commentary, "The Hazing Incident: Veiled Martyrdom."  Mr. Edelman can claim rightful credit for profound progress in the form and content of TRA.

 

Brian Watkins:

Mr. Brian Watkins, a member of the NitroDesigns website design firm (http://www.nitrodesigns.com) had introduced TRA to the opportunity to create custom logos and buttons for free, which have already begun to amplify the formidability of our publication. Among the consequences of his contribution is the former logo for this very award.

 

Nick Kalmakov:

Mr. Kalmakov, a reader and subscriber of The Rational Argumentator, has suggested the employment of a free ProBoards forum for the purpose of facilitating discussion of TRA features. This forum is an immense improvement over TRA's previous Comment Forum, with no limit on the number or length of posts, as well as options for topic categorization and member registration. You can visit this forum at http://rationalarg.proboards24.com.

 

Matthew Graybosch:

Mr. Graybosch is a programmer, an essayist and writer of fiction, a player and enthusiast of music, and an admirer and practitioner of Objectivist priciples. His website, Starbreaker.net, a collection of Mr. Graybosch's fiction and commentary, has recently mirrored some of Mr. Stolyarov's musical compositions at http://www.starbreaker.net/mirror.php. This, along with assisting in the spread of Mr. Stolyarov's works, has also remedied the problem of TRA's limited bandwidth. Now, an even greater amount of individuals may access these compositions simultaneously. For this endeavor, Mr. Graybosch has also earned TRA's Johannes Guttenberg Award.

 

 

 

Raven A. Geary:

Ms. Geary is a writer, poet, amateur astronomer, scientist, vocalist, web site/grafic designer, and linguist. She is a contributor to The Rational Argumentator, who has written for it the article, “From Miracles to Murder: Objectivism and Religion.” Ms. Geary has contributed to the ease with which readers may navigate through the issues of The Rational Argumentator by creating TRA’s Superstructure Index, which enables the swift finding of every TRA issue and article to date. She has designed the format of the Superstructure Index as well as most of its grafics.

 

Wendy D. Bateman:

Miss Bateman is an accomplished artist, writer, and graphic designer—whose essays, “On Contemplation” and "Fatalistic Nihilism in Memoirs of a Geisha," have been published on The Rational Argumentator. Miss Bateman has created a new set of TRA grafics—including a new design for banners representing TRA, TRA’s Online Store, the Chicago Methuselah Foundation Fund, the New Renaissance Hat, and the cover of Eden against the Colossus. You can examine and enjoy much of Miss Bateman’s art at http://karooble.deviantart.com/.