Tuesday was a very special farewell-to- David-Wilkins episode of “This Week in the House.”

The show, hosted by Wilkins and broadcast on ETV’s Carolina Channel, was dedicated to a tribute to the speaker, who will step down this month to become U.S. ambassador to Canada.

Instead of leading the show in his ornate State House office, Wilkins, R-Greenville, sat in an ETV studio and let his colleagues do the work.

Majority Leader Jim Merrill, R-Charleston, and Minority Leader Harry Ott, D-Calhoun, wove jokes into taped interviews.

There were even live calls from S.C. native Tucker Eskew, a spokesman and strategist for the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign, and Bush political strategist Karl Rove.

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WHAT THEY SAID

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“Don’t screw it up, Wilkins.”

— Robert Wilkins, repeating advice his father often gives

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“You’ve dealt with the difficulties of working with a governor of the opposite party. You’ve even had the difficulty of dealing with a governor of the same party.”

— Eskew

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“I view Speaker Wilkins as a statesman, not a politician.”

— Sen. Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence

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“He’ll go down as one of the greatest speakers in history.”

— Rep. Ken Kennedy, D-Williamsburg

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“If he tells you something, you can bank on it.”

— Sen. Jake Knotts, R-Lexington, former House member

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“He is truly a person to emulate in public life.”

— U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

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“I will forever cherish my days in the South Carolina House.”

— David Wilkins

Reach Talhelm at (803) 771-8339 or jtalhelm@thestate.com