Chuck,
Sounds like you weren't even working near the starter when it happened. You can test the function of that starter ballast bypass without crawling underneath, but it is a bit tricky. Measure the voltage on the brown wire at the coil or the ballast resistor while cranking. Yes I know, it seems to take two people to do that, but I think there is a remote starter (blue-yellow?) connection at the firewall you can switch battery to if you feel like rigging it. That voltage shouldn't drop a lot from what it is with the ignition just turned on and not cranking. Most of all, it should be very close to the voltage on the blue end of the ballast resistor. The function of the starter bypass contact is to maintain the correct voltage to the coil when the battery voltage is depressed during cranking, especially at low temps.

But, you weren't working over there, so I think RMAGOO is closer to the trouble: I know you say the distributor has been changed, but could there be a problem with the cable running to the reluctor? Doesn't that wire run underneath the crank pulley where you were working? I don't have the map here, but you should be able to use the book to help verify the resistance of the pickup coil all the way back at the ignition amplifier plug. Be careful that changing the distributor did not introduce a new aspect to the trouble. Do you have just one spark when releasing the key? Does it matter if you crank or not?
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore