****************************************************** PR # 32159 We have discovered several luminous X-ray galaxies whose optical spectra, dominated by starburst signatures, have only weak traces of Seyfert activity. These starburst/Seyfert composite galaxies are also luminous IR sources. The closest and brightest composite, $IRAS$ 00317-2142, has a disturbed morphology indicative of a prior interaction. We propose that the starburst/Seyfert composites are Seyfert analogs to the Sanders et al.\ (1988) evolutionary sequence tying quasars to ultraluminous IR galaxies, in the stage when the AGN is just beginning to penetrate its enshrouding layer of gas and dust. An $ASCA$ observation of $IRAS$ 00317-2152 will test this hypothesis, undoubtedly shedding new light on the connection between starburst and Seyfert activity in galaxi ******************************************************