A Tribute to Mr. Kenneth Arthens Allison, FRICS

A Gentle Giant, Consummate Professional, Perfect Gentleman

The Association of Land Economy and Valuation Surveyors (ALEVS) honours and celebrates the life, legacy, and distinguished service of Mr. Kenneth Arthens Allison, one of the named founding fathers of the Association and a defining figure in Jamaica’s valuation profession. His influence was not marked by self-promotion, but by a lifetime of quiet excellence, integrity, and service.

Founding Father Mr. Kenneth Arthens Allison receives an award from Immediate Past President Mr. Jermaine Williamson at ALEVS’ 50th Anniversary Dinner, held on December 12, 2024, at the Terra Nova Hotel. Mrs. Kadian Arthurs Pinnock looks on and reads the citation.

The Consummate Professional

Over more than four decades, he exemplified the highest ideals of professionalism, combining technical mastery with humility, ethical leadership, and a deep sense of responsibility to both institution and community. A Founding Member of ALEVS in 1974 and later a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in 1986, Mr. Allison helped to

shape the standards and culture that continue to guide valuation practice in Jamaica today. His contribution was formally recognised by the Association at its 50th Anniversary Dinner in December 2024. The citation can be seen here.

Mr. Allison’s career reflected a rare balance between public service, private practice, and international engagement. Beginning in the Land Valuation Office, he rose through the ranks from Valuation Assistant to Valuation Officer, contributing to valuations for rating, taxation, compulsory acquisition, and development control under the Town and Country Planning Act. He later became a Partner at Allison, Pitter & Company. This entity has become the standard bearer and hallmark of excellence in general practice, ranging from valuations, property management, estate agency, feasibility, and development studies, and as part of his legacy, the name Allison will forever play a pivotal part in Jamaican valuation practice. His sound judgment and analytical rigour earned him frequent appointments as an Assessor and Expert Witness in Jamaica and abroad, as well as selection to serve on a United Nations Development Programme technical mission to Zimbabwe, underscoring the international respect he commanded.

The Perfect Gentleman

Dr. Rochelle Channer Miller, ALEVS President presents a citation to Kenneth Allison and Owen Pitter at Allison Pitter and Company's 50th Anniversary Celebration on September 18, 2025.

Yet, it is perhaps Mr. Allison the man, rather than the résumé, that colleagues remember most vividly. A Past President of ALEVS, he led with quiet authority and deep integrity. His legacy in the Association includes leading the collaboration to restore the iconic Half-Way Tree Clock, re-energizing it with a new mechanism sourced from Germany. Through ALEVS service initiatives, he also supported community projects, including the purchase of a netball hoop for a school, small acts perhaps, but deeply symbolic of his belief that professionals must give back to the spaces and communities they serve.

The Gentle Giant

He was widely described as a gentle giant: humble, warm, gracious, and always willing to help. A solutions-oriented individual, many reminisced on how he empowered them to not just complete the current assignment but to leave with additional knowledge and apply critical thinking to even the most complex valuation assignment. Several members recall him as a longtime mentor who deliberately created space for young and upcoming valuation surveyors. One member shared how Mr. Allison invited him, well before he felt ready, to serve as an expert panelist at his church, despite knowing many more senior or established professionals. That quiet act of confidence left a lasting impression and shaped how that member now seeks to include and uplift others.

His professionalism was matched by an openness of mind that set him apart. In another memorable instance, a colleague recounted being on the opposite side of a valuation and compensation case. Rather than dismissing the claim or taking offense, Mr. Allison facilitated a site visit, listened carefully to the reasoning presented, and ultimately accepted and incorporated the more junior colleague’s arguments into his own analysis. It was a powerful lesson in intellectual honesty, respect, and the true spirit of professional inquiry.

Mr. Allison maintained an open-door policy, readily taking calls, offering guidance, and directing young professionals to the right people and opportunities. He was especially supportive of officers from the then Land Valuation Division, assisting many in navigating pathways toward chartership at a time when public sector practice needed to be supplemented by private sector experiences. His generosity of time and knowledge extended to academia as well. At the University of Technology, Jamaica, he was consistently available to assist in reviewing and assessing final-year projects, with feedback that reflected his renowned attention to detail and commitment to rigor.

Today, as ALEVS honours Mr. Kenneth Arthens Allison, we do more than remember a founding father named in our Constitution. We honour a life defined by professional excellence, humility, mentorship, service, and grace. His legacy lives on in the standards of our profession, in the institutions he helped build, and in the countless valuers he quietly shaped, many of whom now seek to emulate his generosity of spirit and integrity of practice. May we continue to walk in the path he illuminated, carrying forward not only his technical contributions, but his example of what it truly means to be a professional and a gentleman.

Walk good, Mr. Allison. Your legacy endures!

Celebration for the Life of Mr. Allison will be on January 7, 2025 at 10:00 am at the Boulevard Baptist Church.