Trafton was born in Maine January 9, 1874. He Attended Wesleyan University in Connecticut where he received a bachelor’s in philosophy in 1898 and a Master of Science degree in 1901. He earned a Master of Arts degree at Columbia University in 1911. Before coming to Mankato he first taught at Beaver College in Pennsylvania and then at East Greenwich, R. I. Academy, at the state normal school at Randolph, VT and at Passaic, N. J. High School. Trafton came to Mankato Normal School in 1911. He taught Physiography, the advanced study of physical geography, agricultural nature studies and preparation of students to teach elementary and nature sciences in public schools. He retired in 1943. He died in Mankato on October 31, 1943.
Construction of the Science Building was begun in Summer of 1970 and was completed in Fall 1972. It was named in honor of Gilbert H. Trafton, professor of biology and for some time chairperson of the Division of Science and Mathematics, on March 2, 1973.
