Laurence Anthony Maes was the executive director of the Dairy Institute of California from 1969 until his retirement in 1985. Born in 1920 in Long Beach, California, he graduated high school at a young age and attended Bakersfield Junior College before enlisting in the military in 1939 at age 19. After six years, he left the service and finished his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, earning his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1947 and his master’s in economics in 1948. In 1948, he became an assistant manager of the Alameda County Milk Dealers’ Association and went on to work full time in the dairy industry for 38 years, even remaining active following his retirement with organizations such as the Associated Independent Dairies of America and the California Creamery Operators’ Association. In this interview, Maes discusses his unique childhood and military experience, the Okinawa invasion, the impact of 9/11 on the dairy industry, and his long and varied career as a dairy executive. This interview is part of a group of interviews documenting the dairy industry in California.