Hope Summers

Sarah Hope Summers , better known as Hope Summers, was an American character actress known for her work on CBSs The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry RFD, portraying Clara Edwards.

Summers was born in Mattoon, Illinois, the daughter of Jennie and U.S. Representative John W. Summers. She was reared in Illinois and later in Walla Walla, Washington. She graduated from Northwestern School of Speech at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and taught speech and diction there. From here, she became the head of the Speech Department at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. A regional actress who often performed in onewoman shows, she was past fifty when she came to Hollywood to begin her career as a character player. She made her television debut in 1951 on the series Hawkins Falls.

Source: Wikipedia