Betsy Kiddy, a scholar of Brazilian history and the African diaspora in the Americas, died of cancer on September 29, 2014, in her home in Reading, Pennsylvania. She is survived by her husband of 23 years, Gregory Kiddy, her parents Tony and Harriet Winchell, siblings Susan, David, and Thomas Winchell, and three nephews. Betsy's contributions were many — as dedicated scholar, educator and mentor, advocate for interdisciplinary studies, capoeira practitioner, singer, musician, composer, dancer, and world traveler. Her zest for life infused both her scholarship and her teaching.
Betsy was born in Kingston, New York, on November 26, 1957, and was raised in Westchester County, New York. She received her undergraduate degree in music composition from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, in 1980. Betsy then moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she discovered the Afro-Brazilian martial art capoeira. This, as well as her appreciation of Afro-Brazilian music, motivated...