Elizabeth W. Kiddy, Phd

Elizabeth W. "Betsy" Kiddy, 56, of Reading, passed away quietly on Monday, September 29, surrounded by her husband Greg, and Betsy's immediate family.

Dr. Kiddy received her doctorate in Latin American Studies from the University of New Mexico and her bachelor's degree in music composition from Hamilton College.

As professor of history and director of Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Albright College, in Reading, she joined the College's faculty in 2001 and earned a reputation as a dedicated teacher, gifted scholar and devoted colleague. Fluent in Portuguese and conversant in Spanish, she studied and taught Brazilian and Latin American history, women, gender and family studies in Latin America, ritual studies, myth and folktale, and the African diaspora. Frequent travel to Brazil to conduct research resulted in numerous publications including her book, Blacks of the Rosary: Memory and History in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Dr. Kiddy's most recent scholarship examines the cultural and environmental history of the people living along the 2000 mile São Francisco River.

Betsy Kiddy loved music, especially Brazilian jazz and samba. Likewise, she adored dance. Once she found the Brazilian martial art of capoeira, Betsy's heart never left that magnificent nation. In 1990, Betsy met her future husband and best friend, Greg Kiddy, in Santa Fe, NM. Soon after they married in 1991, Betsy and Greg traveled almost every year to Brazil researching, learning, and enjoying life.

Born in Kingston, New York, Betsy was raised in Westchester County, New York. Besides her husband, Betsy Kiddy is survived by her parents, Tony and Harriet Winchell of Kennett Square; her sister, Susan Winchell of Silver Spring, Maryland; her brother, David Winchell of Port Jefferson, New York, and her youngest brother and sister-in-law, Thomas & Lisa Winchell of Canton, Massachusetts, and their sons—our three nephews, Ethan, Calvin, and Dylan.

A memorial service will be held to remember Dr. Kiddy on Sunday, November 9th at the Albright College Chapel at 10:00 a.m. followed by an informal reception. Betsy's remains will be interred at the family burial plot in her beloved Adirondack Mountains of New York, and near the São Francisco River, Brazil.

Contributions may be the Betsy Kiddy Travel Fund of Albright College, P.O. Box 15234 Reading, PA 19612-5234. Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home, Inc., West Reading is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be recorded at www.kuhnfuneralhome.com.