Born in 1929 in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, Don Reitz was considered one of the most important influences in 20th century North American ceramics. Through his studies of salt-firing, Reitz achieved and developed colors that had not been created before using that method. Reitz earned his MFA at Alfred University in 1962, during which time he began his lifelong exploration of atmospheric-firing. He spent many years as an educator as well as a potter, and taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for more than 25 years before retiring as a professor emeritus in 1988. His extensive body of work is represented in over 40 distinguished public and private collections. He received the American Craft Council’s Gold Medal in 2002. Don Reitz died in March of 2014.