Donald Lester Reitz (November 7, 1929 – March 19, 2014) was an American ceramic artist, recognized for inspiring a reemergence of salt glaze pottery in United States.

The method was taught in European ceramic art schools, but largely unknown in United States studio pottery.

While recovering from his injury, he began to create a series of ceramic pieces that came to be known by a collective name, Sara Period.

In 2007, Reitz suffered a heart attack and would undergo close to a dozen surgeries, including a valve replacement.

Reitz died on March 19, 2014, at the age of 84 of heart failure and was eulogized by The New York Times and the American Craft Council.

[6] He went to Kutztown State Teachers College, where he studied abstract expressionism and only discovered his passion for working on the potter's wheel in his last semester.

[4][2] Some art historians like Martha Drexler Lynn and fellow potters like Phil Rogers have called him a pioneer of salt glaze in United States studio pottery.

[12] Two salt-glazed pieces, "Tie Down Salt Glazed Covered Jar" (1980) and "Large Pitcher" (no known date) are held by the Smithsonian Institution.

[4][2] His niece, who was receiving treatment for cancer, would send him get-well cards that contained pictures she had drawn.

He would take elements they molded in cylindrical shapes, modify and assemble them into abstract sculptures, statuettes and table top pieces.