He later worked as a real estate broker [2][1][3] He swam for Honolulu's Punahou School, a highly competitive team coached by Bobby Rath.

[5] He received his most structured and challenging training from Hall of Fame Coach Soichi Sakamoto where he competed with the Hawaii Swim Club in Honolulu.

While managed by Hall of Fame Coach Mike Peppe at Ohio State, Cleveland’s achievements grew.

[2][1][3] He met his wife Pauline in High School while she attended Sacred Hearts Academy, in Honolulu and married around 1955 during his competitive swimming career.

[8] In 1963 he served on the Executive Committee of the Hawaii Athletic Sponsors, tasked with managing public relations for the organization.