John Paul Gerber (February 12, 1945 – June 12, 2010) was an American author, historian, librarian, and sportsperson.
He spent much of his professional career as an archivist at Harvard Law School and a medical librarian for the Boston Healthcare System.
[1] Gerber had a passion for European motorscooters, such as Vespas, Lambretta, and Heinkels, owning dozens of various scooters, putting over 412,000 miles riding his bikes on 5 continents,[2] and according to the Boston Globe was "the world's foremost historian on the development, manufacture and spread of motor scooters as a practical means of everyday and leisure transportation.
[4] In 1971, he completed a 25,000 mi (40,000 km) solo trip on his Vespa motor scooter from Wisconsin down the east coast of South America to the Tierra del Fuego.
He returned up the west coast and was on his way to Alaska when the trip was cut short by a car totaling his scooter in Hayward, California.