Mystery solved.
I called Jim Russell, service manager at Hopkins Acura in Redwood City, CA (see my recommendation of him under Vendors), and he guessed that the warning light not going on in my '97 was probably a malfunctioning sensor in the top storage area, so the car thought the top was still safely in there. When we looked today, he was absolutely right. He ordered the $7 part and will install it this week. I would have never thought to look inside the clamshell to solve a light on the dash about a roof latch!
Chip