In May 2020, the world celebrated the 60th anniversary of the first laser demonstration and the beginning of the immense field of laser technology. To mark that occasion, I sat down with Lt. Col. Jim Mayo (USAF Ret.) for a look back at his life’s work in the field of laser optics, and the progress made at the Air Force Avionics Laboratory and the Air Force Weapons Laboratory, both now a part of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.