By Emily Enfinger | The Selma Times-Journal

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary national president will visit Selma on Thursday.

This year’s president is Francisca Guilford, from Anchorage, Alaska. She will be making a trip to Selma to tour areas important in the civil rights movement.

Each year, the auxiliary elects a new president who will visit all 50 states for a tour called the National President’s Visit.

The VFW Auxiliary is a national veterans’ service supporting the Veterans of Foreign Wars and serving veterans and their families in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several foreign locations such as Germany, Guam and Panama.

Members of the organization are relatives of those who have served overseas in combat, according to vfwauxiliary.org, boasting nearly 465,000 in membership.

Patsy Stone, president of Auxiliary Post 3016, which is Selma’s chapter, said Thursday’s schedule includes Guilford walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and visiting the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute after having lunch at the St. James Hotel with members of local auxiliary posts.

“We’re excited,” Stone said. “I’m eager to talk to my ladies about it.”

Stone said normally the tours are done within the city the VFW Auxiliary state president is from, but Selma’s history is why Guilford is making a detour during her trip.

“She’s a history buff,” Stone said. “She’s really interested in the history of Selma.”

Kathy Rowe, VFW Auxiliary state president of Alabama, said this will be Guildford’s first time visiting Selma even though this isn’t her first time visiting Alabama.

“She’s an ex-school teacher.” Rowe said. “So she’s very excited to, you know, anything that has to do with history.”

So far Guilford has visited Washington, Idaho, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Montana and New Mexico.

For more information about Veteran of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, visit www.vfwauxiliary.org.

For more information about Auxiliary Post 3016, visit its Facebook page at VFW Post 3016.